Oliver Evans summary
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Oliver Evans.
steam engine Summary
Steam engine, machine using steam power to perform mechanical work through the agency of heat. (Read James Watt’s 1819 Britannica essay on the steam engine.) A brief treatment of steam engines follows. For full treatment of steam power and production and of steam engines and turbines, see Energy
machine Summary
Machine, device, having a unique purpose, that augments or replaces human or animal effort for the accomplishment of physical tasks. This broad category encompasses such simple devices as the inclined plane, lever, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, and screw (the so-called simple machines) as well as