Wedge

A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by converting a force applied to its blunt end into forces perpendicular (normal) to its inclined surfaces. The mechanical advantage of a wedge is given by the ratio of the length of its slope to its width.^[1]^[2] Although a short wedge with a wide angle may do a job faster, it requires more force than a long wedge with a narrow angle.

The force is applied on a flat, broad surface. This energy is transported to the pointy, sharp end of the wedge, hence the force is transported.

The wedge simply transports energy in the form of friction and collects it to the pointy end, consequently breaking the item.

^ Bowser, Edward Albert (1884), An elementary treatise on analytic mechanics: with numerous examples, D. Van Nostrand Company, pp. 202–203.
^ McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Third Ed., Sybil P. Parker, ed., McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992, p. 2041.

[bowser-1] Bowser, Edward Albert (1884), An elementary treatise on analytic mechanics: with numerous examples, D. Van Nostrand Company, pp. 202–203.

[CEST-2] McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Third Ed., Sybil P. Parker, ed., McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992, p. 2041.

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