A block and tackle is a combination of one or more fixed pulleys and one or more movable pulleys where the fixed pulleys change the direction of the effort force and the movable pulleys multiply it. The mechanical advantage is equal to the number of times the effort force changes direction and can be increased by adding more pulley wheels to the system. An easy way to find the mechanical advantage of a block and tackle pulley system is to count the number of ropes that support the resistance.

An inclined plane is a simple machine that reduces the force needed to raise an object to a certain height. Work equals force x distance and, by increasing the distance that the object travels, an inclined plane reduces the force necessary to raise it to a particular height. In this case, the mechanical advantage is to make the task easier. An example of an inclined plane is a ramp.

A concentrated load acts on a relatively small area of a structure, a static uniformly distributed load doesn't create specific stress points or vary with time, a dynamic load varies with time or affects a structure that experiences a high degree of movement, an impact load is sudden and for a relatively short duration and a non-uniformly distributed load creates different stresses at different locations on a structure.

Coefficient of friction (μ) represents how much two materials resist sliding across each other.  Smooth surfaces like ice have low coefficients of friction while rough surfaces like concrete have high μ.

A gear train is two or more gears linked together. Gear trains are designed to increase or reduce the speed or torque outpout of a rotating system or change the direction of its output. The first gear in the chain is called the driver and the last gear in the chain the driven gear with the gears between them called idler gears.