Watt's linkage

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/watts-linkage

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the inventor?James Watt
2. What is the year of patent?1784
3. Why did James Watt invent it?James Watt needed a way to turn the back‑and‑forth motion of a steam piston into a smoother, more useful motion. By guiding the piston’s point along a near‑straight line, the engine worked better and used less energy.
4. How does Watt's linkage make a straight line?The linkage uses carefully chosen lengths and pivot positions so that when one link turns, the coupler link traces a path that only slightly bends. This keeps the motion almost straight even though the parts are just rotating.

Reciprocating Motion: Back-and-forth linear motion, characteristic of pistons in engines.