Wheel
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be moved easily facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Wheels are also used for other purposes, such as a ship's wheel, steering wheel, potter's wheel, and flywheel.
Common examples are found in transport applications. A wheel reduces friction by facilitating motion by rolling together with the use of axles. In order for wheels to rotate, a moment needs to be applied to the wheel about its axis, either by way of gravity or by the application of another external force or torque.
In laymans terms, if you stick a round component like a log under a load you are carrying, you can push it or pull it instead of carrying it thus making travel easier. If you want to make the process better, take two slices from a round log and put a hole in the center of both of them big enough to fit an axil loosely. The goal is to let the round disk be able to rotate around the axil somewhat freely. Then you can fashion an axil that will be attached to the cart and to both wheels. This allows you to push the cart or pull the cart without it leaving the ground. If you are able to domesticate animals, then you can even have the animals drag the cart for you. Horses were typically the animal of choice.
Dependencies
- Wheel
- Friction
See also
References
| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Wheel, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors). | 
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