Simple Machines - The Screw

The SCREW is a simple machine that is a winding inclined plane.

A screw holds things together, moves things, or crushes things.

Examples: bottom of light bulb, spiral staircase, standard screw, Phillips screw, bottle cap, toothpaste cap


Activities

Activity 1

• Pass out different size screws to students. 
• Have students observe the screws and note the threads.
• Have students count the number of spirals on each screw.
• Have students compare the spiraling screw to a spiraling staircase and a winding mountain road.

Activity 2

Materials

• paper
• pencil
• ruler
• scissors
• clear tape
• crayon/marker

    

Directions

• Have students create a curved inclined plane and compare it to a screw.
• Give each student a right triangle made with a piece of paper. Older students can draw their own right triangle. 
• Have students observe that the longest side of the triangle is slanted/tilted like an inclined plane.
• Have students color the longest side (the "hypotenuse"... for older kids!).
• Optional: Tape the shortest side of the triangle to the pencil.
• With the shortest side of the triangle against the pencil, wrap the triangle around the pencil.
• Tape the end of the triangle with clear tape.
• Have children observe that the triangle wraps in a spiral. The longest side of the triangle (hypotenuse) represents the inclined plane (threads of the screw). A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.

Activity 3

• Have students brainstorm and list other objects that are a screw. (light bulb, bottle cap, etc.)
• Have students sketch/draw pictures of objects that are screws.
• Have students look around the school/home for other examples of screws.
• Have students look in magazines, catalogs, or online for pictures of objects that are screws.
• Have students create a poster or slide show about screws.

Activity 4

• Read books about screws.

Activity 5

• Watch a Video about Screws

 http://www.gamequarium.org/cgi-bin/search/linfo.cgi?id=6886 

Have fun!