Compound engine, c.1761-2
Adams's compound engine combines two engines described by Willem 's Gravesande. Its maker, Adams, was particularly proud of this instrument, calling it 'one of the simplest and most elegant compound engines I have ever seen or read of'. It demonstrates the principle that in order to lift a large weight through a small distance, a small weight must fall through a large distance. The machine shows the effect of combining several simple machines, such as the wheel and axle and the screw.