Science Grade 2-3

Simple Machines: Levers and Ramps

Exploring how simple machines make work easier

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Exploring how simple machines make work easier

Science - Grade 2-3

Instructions: Read each problem carefully. Write your answer in complete sentences when you can.
  1. 1
    A person pushes a heavy box up a ramp into a truck.

    A ramp is placed from the ground to the back of a truck. How does the ramp help someone load a heavy box into the truck?

  2. 2
    Four objects: a spoon lifting a lid, a ball, a pencil, and a cup.

    Circle the object that is a lever: spoon used to lift a lid, ball, pencil lying flat, or cup.

  3. 3
    A seesaw balanced on a triangular center support.

    A seesaw is a kind of lever. What part of the seesaw is the fulcrum?

  4. 4

    Write one example of a ramp that you have seen at school, at home, or in your community.

  5. 5
    Two ramps to a shelf, one long and gentle and one short and steep.

    A child uses a long board as a ramp to roll a toy car up to a shelf. Would a longer ramp or a shorter ramp usually make the push feel easier?

  6. 6
    A bottle opener lifts a cap from a bottle.

    A bottle opener helps lift the cap off a bottle. Is a bottle opener more like a lever or a ramp?

  7. 7
    A slanted flat board forms a ramp to a platform.

    Fill in the blank: A ramp is also called an inclined plane because it is a flat surface that is ______________.

  8. 8
    A person lifts and moves a loaded wheelbarrow by its handles.

    Look at a wheelbarrow. The handles help a person lift and move a load. Is a wheelbarrow using a lever, a ramp, both, or neither?

  9. 9
    A ramp helps move a heavy crate from the ground to a porch.

    Mia needs to move a heavy crate from the floor to a porch. Name one simple machine she could use and explain how it would help.

  10. 10
    A wagon faces a steep ramp and a gentle ramp leading to a low step.

    Which ramp would be safer for moving a wagon up to a low step: a very steep ramp or a gentle ramp? Explain your answer.

  11. 11
    A lever lifts a heavy object while a child pushes the other end down.

    A lever has three main parts: the load, the effort, and the fulcrum. What is the load?

  12. 12
    A ruler acts as a lever to lift an eraser.

    Sam pushes down on one end of a ruler to lift a small eraser on the other end. What simple machine is Sam using?

  13. 13
    A worker moves a box up a longer ramp into a truck.

    A delivery worker uses a ramp to move boxes. The ramp does not make the boxes lighter. What does the ramp change to make the work easier?

  14. 14
    Stairs, a slide, a door handle, a loading ramp, and a spoon.

    Circle the two examples that use ramps: stairs, slide, door handle, loading ramp, spoon.

  15. 15
    A child uses a lever to lift a heavy rock.

    Explain how a lever can help a person lift something heavy.

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