Robotics Worksheet: Gears – Speed or Strength
Robot tip (Trade speed for strength): Meshed gears turn opposite ways; in a row, odd-numbered gears turn like gear 1. Small drives big: slower, stronger. Big drives small: faster, weaker. The gear with fewer teeth turns faster. Open belt: same direction. Crossed belt: opposite direction.
NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
- 1.⚙️ 5 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns clockwise. Which way does gear 5 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 2.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “good for a slow crane”? (a) big drives small (b) small drives big
- 3.⚙️ The gear fixed to the motor is called the … (a) tyre (b) driver gear (c) idler gear (d) driven gear
- 4.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “good for a fast fan”? (a) small drives big (b) big drives small
- 5.⚙️ What are the bumps round the edge of a gear called? (a) teeth (b) pins (c) tyres (d) spokes
- 6.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “good for lifting loads”? (a) small drives big (b) big drives small
- 7.⚙️ A 30-tooth driver gear turns a 24-tooth driven gear. Compared with the driver, how does the driven gear turn? (a) slower (b) faster (c) at the same speed
- 8.⚙️ A 16-tooth driver gear turns a 16-tooth driven gear. Compared with the driver, how does the driven gear turn? (a) faster (b) slower (c) at the same speed
- 9.True or false: “the output turns slower” happens when a big gear drives a small one. (a) False (b) True
- 10.True or false: “the output is stronger” happens when a big gear drives a small one. (a) True (b) False
- 11.⚙️ 7 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns anticlockwise. Which way does gear 7 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 12.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “the output is weaker”? (a) big drives small (b) small drives big
- 13.⚙️ Two gears are meshed together. How do they turn? (a) the same direction (b) one up, one down (c) they do not turn (d) in opposite directions
- 14.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “good for a racing toy”? (a) small drives big (b) big drives small
- 15.True or false: “good for a slow crane” happens when a big gear drives a small one. (a) False (b) True
- 16.⚙️ Pulley A turns anticlockwise and drives pulley B with a crossed belt (it makes an X). Which way does pulley B turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 17.⚙️ A robot fan must spin very fast. The motor’s driver gear meshes with a small gear. What kind of driver gear works best? (a) a small driver gear (b) a big driver gear
- 18.True or false: “the output turns slower” happens when a small gear drives a big one. (a) False (b) True
- 19.⚙️ 3 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns clockwise. Which way does gear 3 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 20.True or false: “good for lifting loads” happens when a small gear drives a big one. (a) False (b) True
- 21.⚙️ 5 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns anticlockwise. Which way does gear 5 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 22.⚙️ A robot arm must lift a heavy load slowly. The motor’s driver gear meshes with a big gear. What kind of driver gear works best? (a) a big driver gear (b) a small driver gear
- 23.⚙️ 2 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns clockwise. Which way does gear 2 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 24.True or false: “the output is weaker” happens when a big gear drives a small one. (a) False (b) True
- 25.⚙️ 7 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns clockwise. Which way does gear 7 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 26.True or false: “the output turns faster” happens when a small gear drives a big one. (a) True (b) False
- 27.True or false: “good for a racing toy” happens when a small gear drives a big one. (a) False (b) True
- 28.⚙️ 2 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns anticlockwise. Which way does gear 2 turn? (a) clockwise (b) anticlockwise
- 29.⚙️ Pulley A turns clockwise and drives pulley B with a crossed belt (it makes an X). Which way does pulley B turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 30.⚙️ Pulley A turns anticlockwise and drives pulley B with an open belt (no cross). Which way does pulley B turn? (a) clockwise (b) anticlockwise
- 31.⚙️ 4 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns anticlockwise. Which way does gear 4 turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 32.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “the output turns faster”? (a) small drives big (b) big drives small
- 33.True or false: “the output is weaker” happens when a small gear drives a big one. (a) True (b) False
- 34.⚙️ Pulley A turns clockwise and drives pulley B with an open belt (no cross). Which way does pulley B turn? (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise
- 35.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “the output turns slower”? (a) small drives big (b) big drives small
- 36.True or false: “good for a racing toy” happens when a big gear drives a small one. (a) True (b) False
- 37.⚙️ Which gear set-up gives this: “the output is stronger”? (a) small drives big (b) big drives small
- 38.⚙️ 3 gears are in a row, each meshed with the next. Gear 1 turns anticlockwise. Which way does gear 3 turn? (a) clockwise (b) anticlockwise
- 39.True or false: “good for lifting loads” happens when a big gear drives a small one. (a) True (b) False
- 40.⚙️ A 15-tooth driver gear turns a 20-tooth driven gear. Compared with the driver, how does the driven gear turn? (a) at the same speed (b) faster (c) slower
Answer key
- clockwise
- small drives big
- driver gear
- big drives small
- teeth
- small drives big
- faster
- at the same speed
- False
- False
- anticlockwise
- big drives small
- in opposite directions
- big drives small
- False
- clockwise
- a big driver gear
- True
- clockwise
- True
- anticlockwise
- a small driver gear
- anticlockwise
- True
- clockwise
- False
- False
- clockwise
- anticlockwise
- anticlockwise
- clockwise
- big drives small
- False
- clockwise
- small drives big
- True
- small drives big
- anticlockwise
- False
- slower
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