The Archimedes screw is a simple machine designed primarily to lift water from a lower level to a higher one.

Quick Scoop

  • It was originally used in antiquity to raise water out of ships and from rivers or canals up into irrigation channels for farming.
  • The device works by rotating a helical screw inside a tube so that water gets trapped in pockets and is carried upward as the screw turns.
  • Today, the same principle is still used in:
    • Wastewater treatment plants to move water and sewage.
* Dewatering low‑lying land, such as polders and flood‑prone areas.

* Small hydropower: when run in reverse, it can act as a low‑head turbine to generate electricity.

* Some amusement park water rides and similar “water‑lifting” attractions.

In short, the Archimedes screw serves the purpose of moving fluids (usually water) between different heights in a controlled, steady way, and its basic idea is still very practical more than two thousand years later.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.