Hey there! We just got back from a super exciting book sale at the library, and now we have two big boxes full of new books for our reading room. I can’t wait to dive into my summer reading! But first, Squeaks and I have a little problem to solve. These boxes are way too heavy for us to lift and carry up the steps into the house. What should we do?
We thought about asking someone to help us, but these boxes are so heavy that even working together might not be enough. Another idea was to carry a few books at a time, but that would take forever! Then, I had a brilliant idea: we could use a machine to help us. And the perfect machine for this job is… a ramp!
A ramp is a simple machine that is long and flat, with one end higher than the other, kind of like a slide on a playground. Some ramps are steep, while others are more gentle. The steepness of a ramp is called its slope. Even though a ramp doesn’t look like a washing machine or a lawnmower, it’s still a machine because it helps us do work. Simple machines like ramps don’t have many moving parts, but they make tasks easier.
Ramps help us move things from a high place to a low place, or vice versa, by pushing or pulling them along the ramp. To move our heavy boxes, Squeaks and I placed a ramp over the steps. The slope was a bit steep, but it reached from the bottom to the top of the steps. Squeaks pushed really hard, and he managed to get the box up the ramp. Great job, Squeaks!
We wondered if we could make Squeaks’ job easier. Should we make the ramp steeper or less steep? We decided to try a longer ramp with a smaller slope. This meant the low end of the ramp was farther from the high end. When Squeaks pushed the box up this ramp, he had to push it a little farther, but it wasn’t nearly as hard. It worked perfectly!
Using a ramp is like walking up a big hill. It’s harder to go straight up, but if you take a longer, less steep path, it’s much easier. Ramps are everywhere! They help us move things into trucks, get cars on and off highways, and let shopping carts and wheelchairs move smoothly. Ramps are just one type of simple machine, and there are many more to explore!
Now that we’ve moved our books, I’m ready to start reading one of them. Thanks for joining us on this SciShow Kids adventure! If you have any questions for Squeaks or me, ask a grownup to help you leave a comment or send us an email at [email protected]!
Ramp Experiment: Gather some toy cars, a few books, and a piece of cardboard or a wooden board to create your own ramp. Try making ramps with different slopes by stacking more or fewer books under one end of the board. Roll the toy cars down each ramp and observe how the slope affects the speed and distance the cars travel. Discuss with a friend or family member why you think the cars move differently on each ramp.
Ramp Hunt: Go on a ramp hunt around your home or neighborhood. Look for different types of ramps, like those used for wheelchairs, skateboards, or even slides at the playground. Take note of how steep each ramp is and think about why it might be designed that way. Share your findings with your class or family and discuss how these ramps help people in their daily lives.
Design Your Own Ramp: Imagine you need to help a toy animal get from the floor to a table using a ramp. Draw a picture of your ramp design and label the parts. Think about how steep the ramp should be and how long it needs to be to make it easy for the toy animal to climb. If you can, build your ramp using materials like cardboard, blocks, or books, and test it out with your toy animal.
