An axe head and a chisel both have slanting sloped surfaces ending in a sharp edge. When driven into timber,…
An axe head and a chisel both have slanting sloped surfaces ending in a sharp edge. When driven into timber, in which direction is the applied forward force converted?
Into a downward gravitational pull only
Into two perpendicular outward forces that split the wood apart
Into circular rotational motion inside the wood
Into upward tensile force that pulls the roots
Solution
A wedge converts a single forward driving effort force into two outward sideways forces perpendicular to its sloped faces, splitting the material apart.