A device that applies force, changes the direction of a force, or changes the strength of a force, in order to perform a task, generally involving work done on a
load . Machines are often designed to yield a high
mechanical advantage to reduce the
effort needed to do that work.
♦ A
simple machine is a wheel, a lever, or an inclined plane. All other machines can be built using combinations of these simple machines; for example, a drill uses a combination of gears (wheels) to drive helical inclined planes (the drill-bit) to split a material and carve a hole in it.