Engineering: How the Six Simple Machines Support the World

A fully illustrated book about simple machines for the next generation of engineers!

How do we build skyscrapers? How did ancient people construct pyramids? Why are gears an essential part of motors?

In Engineering: How the Six Simple Machines Support the World, young engineers learn how mechanical, structural, civil, and other types of engineering are based on the six simple machines that humans have been using for thousands of years. The screw, pulley, wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, and lever are used to build roads, skyscrapers, bridges, engines, and even other tools. They are the building blocks on which more complicated machines are based. Without these six simple machines, the world would look far different and be much more work to navigate!

Dive deep into the history of simple machines, from ancient times to present day, and learn the physics behind how they increase efficiency and productivity through mechanical advantage. Hands-on STEM activities encourage use of the engineering design process as kids brainstorm and build practical prototypes and explore how we might employ simple machines in the future.

Additional materials include a glossary, a list of media for further learning, a selected bibliography, and index. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Carla Mooney is an award-winning children’s author. She has written more than 70 books for children and young adults, including many for Nomad Press, such as Climate in Crisis: Changing Coastlines, Severe Storms, and Damaging Drought and The Physics of Fun. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Lex Cornell is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies. They have illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including the Picture Book Science: Biomes set, Climate Change: The Science Behind Melting Glaciers and Warming Oceans; Rocks and Minerals: Get the Dirt on Geology; and Gender Identity: Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms. Lex lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.