A machine is a device that uses power to perform a task. It can be simple, like a lever or a pulley. Or complex, like a printing press or a robotic arm. Machines amplify force, change direction, or convert energy. They extend what humans can do.

The six simple machines are the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw. Everything mechanical builds on these. A bicycle combines wheels, levers, and pulleys. A crane uses pulleys and a lever. A car engine converts chemical energy into rotation through a series of mechanical linkages.

Types of machines

• Simple: lever, pulley, inclined plane
• Compound: combinations of simple machines
• Power: steam, electric, internal combustion
• Information: computers, calculators
• Industrial: lathes, presses, conveyors

Machines shape society. The printing press spread literacy. The steam engine powered factories. The tractor transformed agriculture. Each new machine changes what work looks like and who does it. The pattern continues with robots and AI.