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Don Mottershead | profile | all galleries >> Mini-galleries >> Simple Machines tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Simple Machines


The Six Simple Machines

During the Renaissance six simple machines were identified.
Complex machines were thought of as assemblies of simple machines.
I remember being taught this classification in school.

There is an interesting Wikipedia article about these simple machines.
It states that a 19th century engineer, Franz Reuleaux, realized
that the six machines can be reduced to two.

From Wikipedia:

"He realized that a lever, pulley, and wheel and axle are
in essence the same device: a body rotating about a hinge.
Similarly, an inclined plane, wedge, and screw are a block
sliding on a flat surface.

This realization shows that it is the joints, or the connections
that provide movement, that are the primary elements of a machine.
Starting with four types of joints, the revolute joint, sliding joint,
cam joint and gear joint, and related connections such as
cables and belts, it is possible to understand a machine
as an assembly of solid parts that connect these joints."

However the six simple machines of the Renaissance are
more photogenic, so that's what this gallery is about.
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comment | share
Alan K22-Apr-2023 01:18
This is an inspired series. What I particularly like is the different styles that have been applied to each image; the backlighting in the Screw shot versus the spotlighting in the Wedge shot, the clarity of the background in the Inclined Plane shot (my wolf used to prefer to just be picked up and put in) versus the soft background in the pulley one, the stark background in the Lever one versus the textured background in the wheel and axle one. If only we could transport them back in time and hang them in a Renaissance art gallery, I'd love to see the look on Leonardo's face.
Kevin D Warren21-Apr-2023 00:56
This is a really cool series. Great photography and idea!
janescottcumming20-Apr-2023 13:03
Very clever gallery, very well done!
Carl Carbone17-Apr-2023 00:16
Cool idea for a gallery!
Allan Jay16-Apr-2023 17:26
Intriguing!
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