1. MCAS Science Review
Technology and Engineering

2. Topics to Review
What are some characteristics of a material that might affect a design made from
that material (for example, weight, strength, hardness, and flexibility)?
What materials and tools that can be used to safely construct a prototype (for
example, hammer, screwdriver, pliers, tape measure, screws, nails and other
mechanical fasteners)?
Describe the six simple machines (screw, wheel and axle, wedge, inclined plane,
lever, pulley).
What is a compound machine?

3. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following qualities of the material:
weight – the measurement of how heavy
something is. Weight is caused by the force of
gravity. Mass is the amount of matter contained in
a certain volume of the material. An object will
weigh differently on the Moon and on Earth,
although the mass of the object is the same.
density – the amount of
something per unit of
area or volume
strength – power to resist strain or stress.
Strength is tested with the machines at right.

4. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
hardness – ability to resist scratching or denting, measured on different scales, such
as the one shown below

5. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
flexibility – ability to bend

6. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
expansion – ability to expand
(and contract)

7. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
durability – ability to withstand wear and use; here
polypropylene material is tested with machines

8. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following qualities of the material:
color – visible color, caused by reflected/absorbed
light
transparency, translucency, opacity – how much
light can pass through the material, such as the
sheets in the illustrations below.
opaque translucent transparent
transparent translucent opaque

9. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
melting/boiling/freezing points – temperature at which material freezes, melts,
or boils

10. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
conductivity – ability to conduct electricity or heat;
silver conducts electricity and heat very well, even in
the epoxy and in the fabric of the hat!

11. What materials should I use?
When deciding on a material to use, consider the following quality of the material:
magnetism – ability to be, become, and retain
magnetism; magnets can be natural, like magnetite,
or manufactured

12. Tools and Their Uses
flathead screwdriver – used to screw in or remove
flathead screws
Phillips head screwdriver – used to screw in or
remove Phillips head screws

13. Tools and Their Uses
screws – used to fasten materials that will be subjected to stress and strain

14. Tools and Their Uses
screws – a variation on the Phillips head screw was
developed at Reed and Prince Screw Factory in
Worcester, MA, where Ms. Burruss’ grandfather
worked for four decades. The screws are called
Frearson or Reed and Prince screws. Special Reed
and Prince screwdrivers must be used with these
screws, which are used today in Japanese and other
Asian products.

15. Tools and Their Uses
hammer – used to drive in or remove nails
nails – used to fasten materials that will not receive stress and strain

16. Tools and Their Uses
pliers – used to grip, bend, and cut things

17. Tools and Their Uses
pliers – used to grip, bend, and cut things

18. Tools and Their Uses
wrench – used to grip nuts, bolts, or
pieces of pipe so that they can be
turned
bolts – used to fasten objects together; a
bolt is a threaded fastener, but, unlike
tapered screws, it is cylindrical and
generally pokes all the way through a
material
nuts – used to secure a bolt; a nut is a
square or hexagonal fastener that holds
the bolt in place on the back side of the
material

19. Tools and Their Uses
saw – used to sever wood, metal, PVC, and
other materials
tape measure – used to measure three-
dimensional (3D) or curved objects
ruler – used to measure two-dimensional
(2D) or flat objects

20. How do I use a screwdriver and a hammer?

21. How do I use a wrench and pliers?

22. How do I use a saw?

23. How do I use a tape measure and ruler?

24. Simple Machines
The six simple machines are the screw, wheel and axle, wedge, inclined plane, lever, and pulley.
Simple machines are tools that make work easier. They have few or no moving parts. These
machines use energy to work. Work is defined as a force acting on an object to move it across a
distance. Pushing, pulling, and lifting are common forms of work.
WHEEL
AND
AXLE

25. Inclined Plane
An inclined plane is a flat surface that is higher on one end. A plane is a flat surface
with only two dimensions, like the surface of a smooth board. If the board is lying on
the ground, it won’t help you do work. If you lift one end of the board up, you can
use it to move objects across distances. That’s work! A common inclined plane is a
ramp.

26. Wedge
A wedge is two connected, inclined planes that meet and form a sharp edge. This
edge can push or split things apart. Axe and knife blades and nails are all wedges.

27. Screw
A screw is an inclined plane that winds around itself around a cylinder or cone. A
screw has ridges and is not smooth like a nail. Some screws are used to lower and
raise things. Archimedes’ water screw moves water uphill. Other types of screws
are used to hold objects together.

28. Lever
A lever is an arm that pivots around a turning point called a fulcrum. The load is the
object the fulcrum moves. The closer the object is to the fulcrum, the easier it is to move.
Levers pry things loose or raise large objects. Hammers, crowbars, and seesaws are
levers.

29. Wheel and Axle
An axle is a rod that goes through a wheel
that rotates around it and turns it. Wheels and
axles are used to move objects across
distances (remember, that’s called work).
It’s interesting that Native Americans never
invented the wheel for real use. Some
children’s toys had wheels, but adults didn’t
use them. Think how much easier
heir nomadic life would have been!

30. Pulley
A pulley consists of one or more
wheels and a ropes. The rope fits
on the groove of the wheel. One
part of the rope is attached to the
load. When you pull on the rope
on the other side of the pulley, the
wheel turns and the load will
move.
Pulleys let you move loads up,
down, or sideways. They make
the work of moving heavy loads a
lot easier.

31. Pulley
One pulley makes work easier. Multiple pulleys can make work even easier.
All right, all right, you’ve won your
bet: you can lift me with one hand!

32. What is a compound machine?
A compound machine has two or more simple machines working together to make
work easier.
What simple machines can you find in these
compound machines?

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