how many simple machines are there
There are six classic simple machines in the standard school science list.
Quick answer
Most science and engineering sources agree that there are six basic simple machines: lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw.
The six simple machines
- Lever
- Wheel and axle
- Pulley
- Inclined plane
- Wedge
- Screw
These are called “simple” because each one is a basic mechanical device that changes the size or direction of a force to make work easier.
Why “six” and not more?
In physics education and most curricula today, these six are treated as the fundamental building blocks that can be combined to make compound or complex machines (like bicycles, cars, or scissors).
Some modern kid-focused resources might list variations (like different classes of levers) or talk about “compound machines,” but those are combinations or subtypes, not additional basic simple machines.
TL;DR: If you are answering a homework, test, or quiz question that asks “How many simple machines are there?”, the expected answer is: six.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.