Wheel And Axle

A wheel and axle is a lever that rotates in a circle around a center point or fulcrum. The larger wheel (or outside) rotates around the smaller wheel (axle). Bicycle wheels, ferris wheels and gears are all examples of a wheel and axle. Wheels can also have a solid shaft with the center core as the axle such as a screwdriver or drill bit or the log in a log rolling contest. Why is a wheel a lever? Read on. A wheel is a lever that can turn 360 degrees and can have an effort or resistance applied anywhere on that surface. The effort or resistance force can be applied either to the outer wheel or the inner wheel (axle).