What's your definition of a machine?

Anything from a simple lever up to the space shuttle that has moving parts. :-) ...lew...

================================ A device that does work.

My wife, who taught simple machines to third-graders for 33 years, had a big poster that showed the lever, the screw, the inclined plane, the wedge, the wheel and the pulley. I feel that the screw and the wedge, as variations of the inclined plane, don't rate the status of machine on their own. Similarly, the pulley is a variation of the wheel. So I'd say that a machine is

A wheel, a lever, or an inclined plane, or any combination thereof.

Joe

I think: Any device with two or more parts that performs or aids in a task.

I don't like the inclined plane, lever, ... as it leaves out some important ones. For example, stonehenge - if used as an astronomical observatory.

I'd tend to call things with one part only tools.

I would partially disagree. To be a machine I would expect some sort of energy source be part of the mechanism, otherwise I would consider it a tool.

So the space shuttle would be a machine, but a simple lever would not.

Just my perception.

JW

Inclined plane Screw Lever Pulley Wheel and axle

A machine allows you to apply force to resistance advantageously.

Ahh, but isn't an inclined plane just a lever.

And for that matter a wheel is a series of levers all attached at one end.

JMHO

RyPhil

ma·chine n.

A device consisting of fixed and moving parts that modifies mechanical energy and transmits it in a more useful form.

A simple device, such as a lever, a pulley, or an inclined plane, that alters the magnitude or direction, or both, of an applied force; a simple machine.

David Jones djonesLSidaho.com

RyPhil wrote: (clip) Ahh, but isn't an inclined plane just a lever.(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Your idea of a "lever" is evidently a rigid bar of some kind, which can then be used for various purposes, such as "inclined plane." Or, going further, crutch, prop, axle, etc.

However, in elementary physics, a lever is a perfectly rigid, weightless, straight length,of zero cross section, which rests on a fulcrum, and which acts to transmit forces at 90 degrees to its length. There are three classes of levers, depending on the relative location of the applied force, load and fulcrum.

Consider what you want but if you want to transmit information it is best to use the same definition that every educated person uses and that definition is not consistent with your perception. But then there is more than one defintionm.

You sure that's what you want to do. How about just looking in a dictionary or is that too banal? I've watched as people looked over a heard of bovines and pointed out particularly large cows while either knowing nothing about biology or using a dictionary since they were talking about bulls.

Just an opinion on opinions.

machine [mə'ʃiːn] noun

1 an assembly of interconnected components arranged to transmit or modify force in order to perform useful work 2 Also called: simple machine a device for altering the magnitude or direction of a force, esp. a lever, screw, wedge, or pulley 3 a mechanically operated device or means of transport, such as a car, aircraft, etc. 4 any mechanical or electrical device that automatically performs tasks or assists in performing tasks

As another poster pointed out, it depends on the definition utilized. By adding the word "simple" it includes our basic lever, screw, wedge, etc. Machine alone implies something more complex, as I stated. JW

I love it. :-) That's what I always tell people " I only know what you said not what you meant "

...lew...

I know that I could just look this up in any dictionary but I wated to stimulate some converstation which I have done. It's great to see different input from the many people that participate in this group. I always learn new things or see a different take on things I already know about.

Thanks

Jack Fisher

[ ... ]

O.K. How did you get that part in square brackets above into the article? They look like HTML extended character definitions, and on my newsreader show up as (spaces added to keep them from being recognized as HTML character codes by your newsreader when you see it again, so you can see approximately what I see.).

machine [ m & # 601 ; ' & #643 ; i & # 720 ;n ]

In particular -- could you describe in words what the first quoted example above without the spaces looks like on your machine? (I guess that I could copy it into a web browser, but I would rather not. :-)

Thank you, DoN.

There is a term for this action -- you are a troll. (Not as bad a form as some, but it is still perceived as a waste of bandwidth by many. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.