Similarities Between Screw & Inclined Plane
Inclined planes are used to make transportation easy. They increase the distance that a body has to cover but at the same time, reduce the amount of force required to move it. When a car is driven on a slope to climb a mountain, the distance traveled is more than if it were driving vertically above the mountain, and the engine would use less power too. Just like the slopes around a mountain make it easier to climb it, the spirals around a screw require less force in hammering it than when a nail is hammered directly into the wood. However, the distance a screw needs to be spiraled for is increased. Let us try to investigate the similarity between a screw and an inclined plane by means of a simple experiment.
Required Material:
– Pen or Pencil
– Typing paper sheet
– Ruler
– Scissor
– Marker
– Scotch tape
Instructions
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1
Draw Right-angled Triangle
On the sheet of a typing paper, draw a right angled triangle such that it has a base of 10 cm (4inches) and a height of 15cm (6 inches).
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2
Cut the triangle
After the triangle has been drawn, cut it out with the help of a scissor carefully. -
3
Mark the Diagonal line
Using a ruler and marker, carefully draw a visible line along the diagonal edge of the triangle cut. This line should be about half inch thick. -
4
Attach paper to pencil
Now with the help of a scotch tape, attach the triangle with a pencil such that the marked edge is facing up like a ship yacht.
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5
Roll the Pencil
Once the sheet is properly attached, roll the pencil in a way that the sheet is tightly wrapped around the pencil.
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6
Wrap the Pencil
After you have fully wrapped the paper, attach the end of the wrapped sheet to itself with the help of a scotch tape.
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7
The Spirals and triangle base
If the pencil's movement is observed, it can be clearly seen that the number of spirals around the pencil is equal to the base of the triangle; that is, 4 inches. This shows that an inclined plane which is 4 inches above the ground will do the same job of a screw with 4 spirals.
