A Scarborough library program will demonstrate the importance of the lever and let teens build a marshmallow thrower.

Basic devices for applying force to move objects have been around since ancient times, and those principles are still the foundation for engineers today.

Relying on simple machines was how the pyramids in Egypt were built, for instance.

Early humans relied on six basic machines to make work easier – the lever, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, the pulley and the screw – according to the LiveScience website.

And, during a special summer reading program at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, at the Scarborough Public Library, local teens will learn about the importance of the lever and get the chance to build a simple marshmallow thrower.

The program leader is Christina Dorman, the library systems assistant at Walker Memorial Library in Westbrook.

“I’ve heard so many great things about (Dorman) that I’m really looking forward to her program,” said Louise Capizzo, the youth service librarian at the Scarborough library.

Dorman, who has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Keene State College, said what most interests her about simple machines is how long they’ve been in use.

“They have been around forever and we still use them in our everyday lives. There are very few items we can say that about,” she said.

What she hopes participants in the simple machines program get out of it is that “learning can be fun.”

Dorman said the overall goal would be for the teens to come away with a basic understanding of levers and fulcrums, which is the point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots.

What she most enjoys about presenting programs like the one next week is “the excitement (and) the joy kids get from making something.”

For youth interested in engineering principles, Dorman recommends the following books: “How Things Work: Everyday Technology Explained,” by John Langone; “Engineering the City: How Infrastructure Works,” by Matthys Levy; “The Art of Construction: Projects and Principles for Beginning Engineers and Architects,” by Mario Salvadori; and “Kids Inventing! A Handbook for Young Inventors,” by Susan M. Casey.

In addition, Dorman said any book by Carol A. Johmann would be of interest to kids interested in learning how large structures are designed and built.

– Kate Irish Collins

The Scarborough Public Library will hold a special event next week during which participants will learn how to make a simple marshmallow thrower like this one.Courtesy photo