EngQuest 2010

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Wedges

A wedge is made up of two inclined planes joined together at an angle. A good example of a wedge is an axe, where the head of the axe is made up of two inclined planes which do the work.

Think about an axe being used to chop and split a piece of firewood (see Diagram 11). The axe is actually being used to change the direction of the force. The force of the axe blow is downwards, but the wedge changes this downward force into two sideways forces, causing the wood to split apart.

Other examples of wedges include:

• a knife blade

• a chisel used in woodworking

• the point at the end of a nail

• a doorstop that is wedged under a door to prevent it from moving.

Did you spot the wedge used in the Simple Machines Animation? How was it used?