Ep 24. Simple Machines around the House

Everyday Engineering: Understanding the Marvels of Daily Life is a television series that takes the everyday objects around us and explain the engineering concepts that enable their function. In season 1 episode 24, viewers are treated to an exploration of the Simple Machines around the house.

The episode begins with a brief recap of the six types of simple machines (levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, inclined planes, screws, and wedges) and their basic principles of mechanical advantage. Viewers are then taken on a tour of a house, where each room is used to highlight examples of simple machines.

Starting in the kitchen, viewers can appreciate the differences and importance of lever systems. A simple knife can be seen as an example of a lever with a fixed arm and a moving part. Additionally, the kitchen can opener, which looks like an uncomplicated shaped tool, highlights to viewers the value of the gears simple machine. We learn that the gears are necessary to provide the torque and mechanical benefits needed to puncture the can.

In the bedroom, the mechanism of the bedspring allows viewers to appreciate the role of pulleys. Bedsprings rely on the principle of the pulley to create mechanical advantage to support weight, making them an invaluable part of our everyday lives. Simple items such as drawers in the bedroom demonstrate the value of inclined and flat surfaces combination in high yielding mechanical advantages that make opening and closing drawers and access to what is in them effortless.

In the living room, our attention is drawn to the bookshelf. Viewers learn of the importance of the multiple levers on each side of the shelf and how they affect the overall weight distribution of the books on the shelf. The bookshelf can also be seen to be made up of many screws as it mounts on the wall to maximize its pull-out resistance. Finally, the window curtains enable viewers to understand better the simple machine principles of pulleys, as the cord that raises and lowers the curtains have an ingenious use of two pulleys.

Moving down to the basement, we explore how screw simple machine principles influence drills and cutters. By rotating helix systems, screwdrivers wind and push to create holes where once there were none, and drill chuck that attaches securely by twisting creates precision and accuracy. The carriage that uses the helix's powers to move objects where needed is also showcased in the episode.

Lastly, we are taken to the car workshop, where we look into how vehicles employ Simple Machines. Starting from the sophisticated technology without which cars wouldn't drive, we appreciate the modern engines' simplicity based on the internal combustion techniques. We also see the simple machine principles in car mirrors, ramps, and even the doors.

In conclusion, the episode is an excellent introduction to the simple machine concept around us. It illustrates that these principles of physics, centered on simple machines, governs most of human innovations. It reminds us that an understanding of these principles is the key to the engineering marvels of daily life. After watching this episode, you will surely want a closer look at the simple machine-oriented system around you.