Which option describes a non-simple machine?

Which option describes a non-simple machine?

• A. Complex machine
• B. Lever
• C. Wheel and axle
• D. Pulley

Answer: (A)

Non-simple machines are built from two or more simple machines working together. The option that describes a non-simple machine is the one labeled as a complex machine, because it denotes a system made from several simple machines. The other options—lever, wheel and axle, and pulley—are classic simple machines, each with a basic mechanism and a single moving part (a lever rotates about a fulcrum, a wheel and axle is a wheel fixed to a shaft, and a pulley uses a wheel with a rope). When these simple machines are combined into a single system, they form a complex (compound) machine, which is why the description of a complex machine best fits a non-simple machine.

Non-simple machines are built from two or more simple machines working together. The option that describes a non-simple machine is the one labeled as a complex machine, because it denotes a system made from several simple machines. The other options—lever, wheel and axle, and pulley—are classic simple machines, each with a basic mechanism and a single moving part (a lever rotates about a fulcrum, a wheel and axle is a wheel fixed to a shaft, and a pulley uses a wheel with a rope). When these simple machines are combined into a single system, they form a complex (compound) machine, which is why the description of a complex machine best fits a non-simple machine.