MachineForge

Meet the cast who each embody one simple machine — then build with them and see the mechanical advantage for yourself.

Level 1

For grown-ups — progress report →A private, on-device snapshot mapped to the skill areas practiced. Export a CSV or print — nothing leaves this device.

Build, predict & practice

Two hands-on surfaces — the mechanical-advantage lab and the gear-ratio drill — plus the concept quiz. Everything runs on your device; nothing is sent anywhere.

Simple-Machine Lab Pick a lever, ramp, pulley, wheel-and-axle, screw, wedge or gear, read its measurements, and predict its mechanical advantage — then the effort it takes to move a load. See how a machine trades distance for less force. Mechanical advantage Gear-Ratio Drill Read a gear train and predict what the output does — faster or slower, more or less torque, which way it spins. Meet the idler gear that flips direction but leaves the ratio alone. Gears Hydraulic Press Lab Predict whether the press lifts the load, then push harder and watch Pascal’s law multiply your force by the piston-area ratio. See why a small push on a car jack lifts a whole car — and why the big piston moves less far. Pascal’s law Concept Kits 16 quiz kits — 400 questions from simple machines to robotics — with a hint after a first miss and an explanation every time. Practice

16 kits · 400 questions · ages 9–14 · NGSS engineering + simple-machines physics

Play together

Go head-to-head with a friend — same device or an online room.

MachineForge Duel (pass-and-play) 2–4 players take turns on one device — same questions, highest first-try score wins. Or open an online room to play a friend on another device. MachineForge Journey — follow the map → A path through every kit. Clear each stop, then move on — see how far you’ve come.

Mixed practice

Mixed practice — revisit what you've learned A short round that shuffles questions from the kits you've played, brought back when they're ready to review. Great for making it stick. MachineForge Sprint — a calm speed round → Once you’ve mastered a few kits, race your OWN best on what you already know. Timer optional, no penalty for a miss.
MachineForge mascot

Meet the cast — the characters who teach this

Each one stands for an idea you’ll practice. Tap a character to read their illustrated story and hear their audio drama.

Ensemble stories — the cast together

Explore all the stories →

📚 Books for MachineForge

Read the story, print a workbook, or color the cast — free PDFs to read offline or print at home.

Browse all books →

Same idea, another world

Something you practice here shows up somewhere else too — that's real learning that travels.

A machine multiplies your effort by a fixed number — a longer lever or a bigger gear ratio — the same fixed ratio behind every proportion.The shared idea: a fixed ratio (y = kx) — mechanical advantage is the fixed number a machine multiplies your effort by (a longer lever, more gear teeth), exactly the fixed ratio you scale a proportion byTry RatioRealm →A machine never gives free energy — save force, pay in distance — the same conservation as height turning into speed on a ramp.The shared idea: conservation of energy/work — a machine gives no free energy: what you save in force you pay back in distance, the same conservation as potential energy turning into kineticTry PowerForge →

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Privacy & how it works Meet the cast