What is Machine: Definition and 968 Discussions

A machine is a human-made device that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. Machines can be driven by animals and people, by natural forces such as wind and water, and by chemical, thermal, or electrical power, and include a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement. They can also include computers and sensors that monitor performance and plan movement, often called mechanical systems.
Renaissance natural philosophers identified six simple machines which were the elementary devices that put a load into motion, and calculated the ratio of output force to input force, known today as mechanical advantage.Modern machines are complex systems that consist of structural elements, mechanisms and control components and include interfaces for convenient use. Examples include: a wide range of vehicles, such as automobiles, boats and airplanes; appliances in the home and office, including computers, building air handling and water handling systems; as well as farm machinery, machine tools and factory automation systems and robots.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. 2

    How to Safely Remove Malware from a Windows 98 PC

    I just started to work on a co-workers computer, they had no anti virus, no firewall, no startup manager, and no spyware programs. To say the least it is loaded with a lot of nasties, one of my problems is that when I try to get rid of the spyware, bad registry keys, etc, it freezes up the...
  2. 2

    Is Your Computer Turning Off When You Leave the Room?

    I could really use some help on this one, it's really driving me mad. A few days ago my computer started to shut down and restart anytime I would try to leave the room, I even crawled out of my chair, crawled across the floor through the door, but to no avail, it realized I was leaving it, and...
  3. S

    Possible webpage title: What Type of Simple Machine Has an Efficiency of 81.7%?

    Homework Statement Could I please have a tutor check my answer and solution? question: An effort of 3 kN is required to move a mass of 2000 kg in a certain simple machine. If the mass is raised 1.5 meters while the effort moves 12 meters, find the efficiency? [b]2...
  4. -Job-

    Troubleshooting a Dell Precision Machine After a Power Outage

    Great, i get home from work and find my fairly expensive dell precision machine, which i use as a web server, in some state. All three fans spinning very loudly at full power like a jet engine and the computer completely dead. When i restart the computer no characters are printed, the monitor...
  5. W

    Solving Pinball Machine Spring Force Problem

    Homework Statement The ball launcher in a pinball machine has a spring that has a force constant of 1.2 N/cm. The surface on which the ball moves is inclined at 10° with respect to the horizontal. If the spring is initially compressed 5 cm, find the launching speed of a .1 kg ball when the...
  6. T

    Rube Goldberg Machine Project Help

    Last week my physics teacher, Nate Sloan, told us that we would be having a project during the quarter. He gave us the options of building a miniature roller coaster, or building a rube goldberg machine. We chose the rube goldberg machine, and I was wondering if anyone had any good...
  7. D

    Installing Pro-Engineer on a linux machine

    anyone know how to do this? i have 0 experience installing stuff on linux, I'm pretty new to it. i know the one word "un-tarring" and that's about the limit of my capabilities it'll be wildfire3 version of proe on debian distro thanks for any and all help
  8. T

    Atwood's Machine: Finding Acceleration & Tension Magnitudes

    There is an Atwood's machine. The masses of blocks A and B are m_A and m_B, respectively, the moment of inertia of the wheel about its axis is I, and the radius of the semicircle in which the string moves is R. Known: m_A > m_B a)Find the magnitude of the linear acceleration of the block...
  9. R

    Creating a Time Machine: Can it be Done?

    Can we ever create a time machine?:!)
  10. L

    Wright Brothers Flying Machine

    http://www.turnertoys.com/G1/MM2202bat144.jpg "The Wright Bat Vertical Flying Machine Wilbur and Orville Wright (you've heard of them) played with a wooden version of this toy in 1878. Their father, Bishop Milton Wright, bought it for them as a gift. Wind the rotor and let go - it flies up...
  11. C

    Control System For Tensile Testing Machine

    Hi, I am doing a small project on the "construction and control of a modern tensile testing machine" and am a bit unsure as to where to start on this! Does anyone have any ideas as to where I could find information on this subject, or know anything that might be helpful? Thanks, Chris
  12. Loren Booda

    Turing machine applied to virtual reality

    How can one readily determine that the reality one experiences is real, not virtual - perhaps through Turing machine logic?
  13. T

    Help Need help with an Atwood machine problem.

    I was working on my physics homework and I came across a question that I couldn't find an example of in my notes. I'm not sure which formulas I need to use and in which order to use them. Here's the question: Two objects with masses of 3.00 kg and 5.00 kg are connected by a light...
  14. T

    How Does Water Impact Feed Flow Rules in Ball Screw Grinding Machines?

    Hi everyones. It's lucky for me to know the 4room like that.I hope we can share our useful & professional knowledge about the major we study.For me,for instant,chemical engineering is my major! First,let me introduce myself.My name ThaiBuiHuu,the 5-years student of HaNoi University of...
  15. R

    How Is Tension Calculated in an Atwood Machine?

    With an Atwood Machine, I understand that the formula for calculating T can be calculated with two simultaneous equations. T-m1g=m1a a= (m2 - m1 ( T – m1
  16. A

    Unit of Mechanical Advantage of a machine?

    Why the mechanical advantage of a simple machine has no units? M.A=Load/Effort. thank you.
  17. S

    Medical Transfer of knowledge: machine to brain

    i tried searching for it on google but couldn't get the right term. Do you guys know of any research going on trying to transfer knowledge directly into brain like chip?
  18. P

    How Do You Solve Atwood's Machine Problems Involving a Car and a Rock?

    Good day! Guys pls help me...here is the problem... Kefer and Kaye Ace are parked from the edge of a cliff in a sports car whose mass, including that of the occupants, is 1000.0 kg. A jealous suitor ties a rope to the car's bumper and a 50.0 kg rock at the end of the rope. He then lowers...
  19. B

    Circular motion of a loop-the-loop machine

    A loop-the-loop machine has radius R of 18m. a)What is the minimum speed at which a cart must travel so that it will safely loop the loop? I am unsure which formula to use as I know it has something to do with KE and GPE. I was thinking it might be : v = square root...
  20. N

    What does the function machine do with numbers 1, 2, 4, and 7?

    If we have function machine, which change numbers 1,2,4 and 7 like this 1 --> 4 2 --> 8 4 --> 16 7 --> 28 How i know simple, what is function, what machine use? :frown: ( I don't speak very well english )
  21. dav2008

    New machine removes cancer from water

    Here's a nice little crackpot ad from a magazine. I removed all of the contact information so it doesn't break the advertising rules on here. This is just for humor value. http://home.comcast.net/~iberiaforums/pfadvert.jpg
  22. S

    Transporting machine(actually cloning machine)

    What I would do is create a cloning machine but sell it as a transporting machine. Do you get it? Not yet? Lemme explain it. You wake up, you go to school by transporting you, what is actually happening is it kills you and clone you to the school, you return form the school the same way. So...
  23. S

    What is the Best Way to Automate Older Machines with PLCs?

    THEN Older machines cane be automated by using plc's How to Manufacture the PLC? for this Email to bhosalerajendrad@yahoo.com
  24. S

    Machine Converts Chemical Energy To Electrical Energy?

    What Kind Of Machine Converts Chemical Energy To Electrical Energy? A)dynomite Explosion B)batteries Or Fuel Cells C)steam Turbine D)hydrogen Bomb Explosion E)tail Of A Firefly
  25. D

    Calculating Force for Tattoo Machine Solenoids

    I'm currently in the process of redesigning the solenoids for a tattoo machine company. I was wondering if anybody was aware of a formula to find the amount of force that the solenoid would draw the armature. I can figure out just about every variable that I think I'd need: flux density, air gap...
  26. wolram

    Invest in Zero Q Machine: The Timeless Travel Solution

    I have found that the bread and butter argument is flawed (a slice of bread and butter all ways falls butter side down), my experiments prove that the butter side is all ways more attracted by gravity, in order to improve this quality i found that spreading the opposite face with bbq sauce...
  27. R

    Build Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine: Ideas & Inspiration

    Any ideas for a good Rube Goldberg Machine anyone?
  28. H

    Does your school have a binding machine?

    Since some forgotten time in the past, I've been printing whole books in school. Everyday 30-40 pages and a full book in 1-2-3 weeks. It's not very convenient to staple all the pages, and loose pages get lost easily and bent in a binder. I just came up with an idea, that maybe my school...
  29. T

    How can the Wimshurst machine generate a very HIGH voltage?

    It is so surprising that athe Wimshurst machine can generate up tp 1,000,000 voltage with the size of 50 cm! As I know, in order to generate such a high voltage on its 2 terminals, there must be a very large quantity of charges being "collected and stored" in the Leyden Jars. Am I right...
  30. F

    How do I correctly calculate linear speed in a tilted pinball machine problem?

    I used PEsp = KE, which I got 16 = (0.5)(0.1)(v^2), and got 17.89, for my linear speed, and got that wrong. I know that once I get my linear speed, I plug that into an equation to get angular speed, but I would like to know how to get this linear speed correct. Thanks!
  31. 0

    Can a PTM simulate a one-tape Turing machine in O(T^2) time?

    This was a bonus problem that I missed on the last homework. A paper tape Turing machine (PTM) is a Turing machine whose tape alphabet is partially ordered, and if a is a symbol on a square of the tape, then b can only be written on that square if b is greater than a in the partial order...
  32. Z

    Where to Buy a 9m Wide Three Layer Blown Film Coextrusion Line?

    please i want to comapnies' sites for buying three layer blown fim coextrusion line that ia able to produce films with widths about 9m
  33. P

    How Are Armature Coils Configured in Synchronous Machines?

    Hello, I'm a little confused about synchronous machines. Specifically, I don't understand how the armature coils are wound. In discussing how the windings are configured in a three-phase synchronous machine, my textbook provides several diagrams which suggest that the windings of a coil go...
  34. P

    Constructing a Finite State Machine for Recognizing Sequences in Language A

    Why is it not possible to construct a finite state machine that recognizes precisely those sequences in the language A = {0^i 1^j |i,j Element Z^+, i>j} where the alphabet for A is {0,1}.. I just don't get it why this is not possible.. Is it because 0 can be infinite.. ?
  35. C

    Speed/field current relationship of a dc machine

    Im having trouble explaining this relationship...from my graph i know that if armature voltage is held constant then the field current will decrease exponentially for increasing speed. But why?
  36. C

    Seperately excited DC machine question

    Hi, i would be very grateful for some help... I have recently conducted an experiment and but I am not sure how to compare the values i measured with 'predicted' results (from theoretical equations). This is for the 'open circuit characteristic of a dc generator'. I set values for the...
  37. E

    Can You Beat a Machine in IQ Test-Like Games?

    In this page you can play against a machine in IQ test-like games. Very funny. www.theiqchallenge.com
  38. C

    Why wouldn't this pepetual motion machine work?

    The weights are attached to the main wheel by ratchets that only turn anticlockwise. The green thing is a slope that the red wheels roll down. It's a variation on another 'perpetual motion machine' that I saw a while ago, but I can't see what's wrong with it! It's driving me mad...
  39. P

    What is the meaning of the v and w columns in a finite state machine example?

    Okay, I'm having trouble understanding a finite state machine example in my book. It's a state table for the machine M = (S, \ell , \wp , v , \omega ) where S = {S0, S1, S2}, \ell = \omega = {0,1}. Please check out the attachment:smile: What i don't understand is the v and \omega...
  40. T

    Can I Use Two Monitors on One Machine?

    I'm wanting to have two monitors run from the same machine, mostly because I hate having to move from my couch to my desk, back and forth. And when I do, i have to unplug the monitor I have at my couch, and replug the monitor at my desk. Are there adapters such as screen spliters, maybe? I don't...
  41. A

    Expert Tips for Building a Rube-Goldberg Machine | Physics Class Help

    Hey Guys, For my physics class I have to build a Rube-Goldberg machine. I'm really stuck in making the machine and was wondering if anyone could help me. I don't know where this post is suppossed to go, so I figured it would be most appropriate in the Engineering topics. Thanks a lot Guys
  42. B

    Finding the Mass Combination for 1/2 g Acceleration in an Atwood Machine

    im stuck on the last question of this lab. "what combination or masses would make the accelration of an atwood machine equal to 1/2 g?" a = g (m1 - m2/m1=m2) so i have to find out what m1 and m2 are eual to in that forumula if g = 1/2 im thinking a is equal to 9.81 because the...
  43. A

    Build a machine that lifts and transports a load?

    hey guys, i need your help! how can i design and build a machine that lifts and transports a load?
  44. T

    Ssh to your machine from anywhere?

    What is it you have to do if you want to be able to ssh to your machine from anywhere? I know what it takes if you're connecting to one that's on the same network. And I'm not talking just ssh, I also mean telnet, ftp, etc...Kind of a noob question.
  45. T

    Exploring Physics of a Punching Bag Machine

    I'm not currently taking physics but I am curious as to the physics of a certain machine. You may or many not have seen it before, mostly in bars or clubs, there are punching bag machines. The best diagram i could draw is following...
  46. F

    Why Buy an Espresso Machine if Coffee Shops Keep Disappointing?

    People in coffee shops are incompetent. Really. I don't think they understand that some people( granted not their typical panzy customers) actually like the taste of espresso. Two times in a row I've gotten a double cappuccino at the campus coffee shop that was really a latte. The ONLY...
  47. Z

    Which OS Would You Be? Take the Test Now!

    If man were machine ... What OS would you be? Take thetest
  48. T

    How to Model a Fast-Response Induction Machine for Variable Load Simulations?

    I'm modelling an induction machine used as a fast-response drive that provides on-demand additional power to a manually operated lever. My problem is I have no fixed operating point, the motor operates at high speeds but only for a maximum of 10 seconds at a time. I'm also modelling this out of...
  49. S

    What Transofomer Is Called A Machine?

    Hi Guys! well ! i have one question to you? Why transformer is called a machine. It has got no rotor in it. Then what is the reason that we put transformer in the category of machines. Thanks in advance!
  50. E

    Choosing Mealy vs Moore State Machines: Factors & Insights

    What are some possible criteria when to choose Mealy or Moore state machine? I know that for Mealy, output is a function of present state and input and in Moore it's just present state. I know it also probably depends on the design specifications, but ... just wondering. Any insights are...
Back
Top