A wedge is a piece of wood or metal that is thick at one end and sloping to a thin edge at the other. A wedge is a type of inclined plane, which is another one of the six simple machines. Often a wedge is made of two inclined planes put back to back. Most wedges are used for cutting.

Some of the first wedges were used by the Indians. Indians fashioned stones into cutting edges called arrow heads. They used these arrow heads for knives, spears, axes, and arrows.

HOW THE WEDGE HAS ADVANCED

The wedge has come a long way since the time of the Indians. Now we have better axes, knives, and arrows. This is mainly because of the materials we use to make these sharp utensils. Today we have metal knives and axes instead of ones made of flint.

The wedge is a very important simple machine. It really helps make our daily lives much easier.