The Wheel and Axle


	The wheel and axle is a simple machine made of a large wheel secured to a smaller wheel which is called an axle. One of the most common wheel and axles is something that most people use everyday. It is the tire of a car or truck. On most of these, the wheel and axle acts as a lever rotating around the fulcrum or the center point. On doing this the wheel rolls. HOW TO WORK A WHEEL AND AXLE There are two main ways to use a wheel and axle. The first way is by wrapping a rope around a supported wheel with a lever sticking out. An object can be tied to the other end. By turning the lever, the rope either moves the object toward or away from you. The second way is by having two wheels at the end of a axle. The wheels will then roll providing movement. THE HISTORY OF THE WHEEL AND AXLE The wheel is probably the single most important invention of all time. The oldest wheel was found in a place that is now called Mesopotamia. It is believed to be over fifty-five hundred years old. Before that time, people did not have wheels to move heavy objects.

				A ferris wheel is an example of a wheel and axle.