Amachine is the combination of two or more machine elements that
work together to transform power fromone form to another. While the first
tools used by humans are likely to have been rocks or sticks, the firstmachine
was likely to have been a lever and fulcrum. More advanced machines also
utilize control systems, which in the early days were also mechanical. This
allowed machines to do work without humans attending to the their every
function

Which suggested answers are correct (there may be more than one, or none)?
Can you suggest additional and/or better answers?

The four most commonlinks are known asbinary, ternary, quaternary andpentanary links and they have two, three, four and five joints (nodes)
respectively on their structures. Lookclosely at the picture of the excavator
and try to identify each of these types of links. What typesof links represent
the hydraulic cylinders?

4-bar linkages are often used to actuate booms or robot arms. Page 4-
8 gave us our first glimpse of a piston actuated 4-bar linkage boom, where
equations were presented for the determination of the perpendicular distance
from the piston to the pivot point. The analysis showed that if we know the
loads applied to the end of the boom, we can find the moment on the pivotA
and the required piston forceF piston .

4-Bar linkage motion can be developed usingkinematic synthesis:

inkages are often drawn with more than just binary links connecting
pivots. Sometimes ternary or even quaternary links are shown connecting pivots. The other nodes on the link represent attachment points for other objects
such as a bucket on a loader on a robotfor a design contest! By providing
points on the coupler link away from the line connecting its pivots, different
types of motions can be obtained.