Simple Machines | Technical English Reading Materials

SIMPLE MACHINES

A machine is something which uses energy. It puts energy to work. And do you know what energy is? We get it from food, but machines often get energy from fuels such as coal, gas, petrol, etc. Some machines such as bicycles use people energy.

Almost everyday we use machines. We use a key to open the door.  We cut our cloth with scissors. We use an alarm clock to wake us up in the morning. We cut the wood using a handsaw. We turn off the the bedside lamp when it is time to go to sleep at night. Keys, alarm clocks, scissors, handsaws and bedside lamps are all machines. They help us to do work.

In the picture there are three simple machines. They are the lever. the pulley and the wheel. These simple machines make our work easier. A large rock is very heavy but we can move it with a lever. We can lift a heavy weight with a pulley. We can move things along from one place to another with wheels.

For a long time engineers have used the three simple machines above to make more complicated machines. All machines, from the simple lever to the giant crane, make it possible for people to do things much more easily.

Sumber: Bahasa Inggris SMK Kelompok Teknologi dan Industri Kelas 1, Humaniora Utama Press Bandung (1997) Pict. by Wikimedia Commons