A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called ...

When you push or pull with a simple machine, you are applying a force and doing work. And, if you get more force out of a machine than you put into it, then that machine has a mechanical advantage.

Bring up the subject of time, torque, and inertia with a mechanical engineer, and his or her eyes are likely to light up. Most engineers, during their undergraduate career, get a firm grounding in ...

Can we improve performance by adding control elements external to the PID loop? Yes. Here we consider torque control and the related subject of torque feedforward — which can make systems run more ...

Simple machines make work easier to do. But how? Join Joan at the Discovery Center of Idaho as she tries various experiments with simple machines. Science Trek is available to stream on pbs.org and ...