"Focus" Questions

The following questions appear at the beginning of each segment in the television broadcast, The Case of the Powerful Pulleys.

Segment 1

• What is energy?
• What does it mean to do work?
• What are simple machines?

Segment 2

• What is the difference between potential and kinetic energy?
• How can pulleys help lift the Space Shuttle?
• How does a pulley make lifting objects easier?

Segment 3

• How can you determine how much mass is needed to lift a load?
• What should the tree house detectives consider to safely lift Jacob?
• What are Human Factors?

Segment 4

• How does a gear work?
• How does a belay make the lift chair safer?
• How does a winch help solve the problem?