What term refers to the basic devices used to apply a force?

• A. Energy
• B. Torque
• C. Levers
• D. Simple Machines

Answer: (D)

Simple machines are the basic devices used to apply a force. They make work easier by changing either the size or the direction of a force, or by allowing you to apply the force over a longer distance. Examples include levers, inclined planes, pulleys, screws, wedges, and wheels and axles. In this context, the term that refers to these basic devices is simple machines. A lever, for instance, is one of the classic simple machines and shows how a smaller input force can produce a larger output force by trading distance for force around a fulcrum. The other terms don’t describe this broad category: energy is a property of a system, torque is a rotational effect, and a lever is just one specific device within the category.