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An ornithopter (from Greek ornis, ornith-'bird' and pteron 'wing') is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers sought to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as flying animals.
A compound machine is a machine formed from a set of simple machines connected in series with the output force of one providing the input force to the next. For example, a bench vise consists of a lever (the vise's handle) in series with a screw, and a simple gear train consists of a number of gears ( wheels and axles ) connected in series.
The mechanical advantage of a simple machine like the wheel and axle is computed as the ratio of the resistance to the effort. The larger the ratio the greater the multiplication of force (torque) created or distance achieved. By varying the radii of the axle and/or wheel, any amount of mechanical advantage may be gained. [18]
Simple machine – There are only 3 fundamental machines, with 4 variations, for a total of 7 simple machines Lever; Inclined Plane. Screw – combination of a wheel and an inclined plane; Wedge; Wheel. Pulley; Gear – combination of a wheel and a lever; Vehicles. Man powered vehicles Bicycle; Pedalo; Powered vehicles Car; Train; Airplane ...
The hand axe is the first example of a wedge, the oldest of the six classic simple machines, from which most machines are based. The second oldest simple machine was the inclined plane (ramp), [6] which has been used since prehistoric times to move heavy objects. [7] [8] The other four simple machines were invented in the ancient Near East. [9]
It became the first manned, heavier-than-air flying machine that was mechanically controllable in all three axes: pitch, roll and yaw. Its pioneering design also included wings with a higher aspect ratio than the previous gliders. The brothers successfully flew the 1902 glider hundreds of times, and it performed far better than their earlier ...
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The Way Things Work is a 1988 nonfiction book by David Macaulay with technical text by Neil Ardley.It is a whimsical introduction to everyday machines and the scientific principles behind their operation, describing machines as simple as levers and gears and as complicated as radio telescopes and automatic transmissions.