WEDGE

What it is:
A wedge is a simple machine made up fo two inclined planes put together. These 2 planes meet and form a sharp edge.

EXAMPLES

• Door stop
• Ax
• Knife

Mechanical advantage description:
concentration of force is the mechanical advantage (MA) the wedge provides. Each of the six simple machines offers a mechanical advantage, and it can be quickly calculated for a wedge. The mechanical advantage of a wedge can be found by dividing the length of either slope (S) by the thickness (T) of the big end.

Mechanical advantage:
can be calculated by dividing the length of the slope by the width of the the thick part.

Take the length of the slope of the knife which is 4 centimeters and the width which is .5 centimeters and divide 4 by .5 which is 8 N