A machine is an apparatus or device that uses energy to perform a specific task or series of tasks. At its core, a machine can manipulate or control physical forces to achieve a desired outcome, often making work easier or more efficient. Machines can be simple, like levers and pulleys, or complex, like computers and industrial robots.
Articles by others on the same topic
A machine is a physical system arranged to transmit or transform forces, motion and energy to perform a task. A lever changes the relation between applied and delivered force; an electric motor converts electrical energy into rotation; a pump transfers mechanical work to a fluid.
For an ideal slowly moving mechanism with no stored-energy change or dissipation, input and output work agree. If constant forces act through distances and , then . A larger output force therefore accompanies a smaller output displacement. Real machines also dissipate energy through friction, vibration and heating, so motion geometry and energy dissipation must be assessed separately.