Ramps Help Us

Looking Around 2 — Means of Transport. Loading goods onto trucks and helping wheelchairs move connects ramps directly to transport in daily life.

• A ramp is a slanted (sloped) surface that connects a lower place to a higher place.
• A ramp makes it easier to move things up or down than lifting straight up.
• Ramps are used at homes, hospitals, shops, and for loading trucks.

Verbal: A ramp (also called an inclined plane) is a flat slanted surface. Pushing something up a ramp needs less effort than lifting it straight up.

Symbolic: Straight lift = more effort, short distance. Ramp = less effort, longer sloped path.

Level 1 — What is a ramp?

A ramp is a slanted surface, like a slide or a plank leaning against a step.

Level 1 — Why we use ramps

Ramps make it easier to push a heavy trolley up instead of lifting it.

Level 2 — Ramps for everyone

Wheelchair ramps at hospitals and schools help people move between floors without stairs.

Level 2 — India

Loading sacks of grain onto a truck using a wooden plank ramp at an Indian market.

Why do workers use a plank as a ramp to load a heavy box onto a truck instead of lifting it straight up?

Step 1 — Lifting the box straight up needs a lot of effort all at once.
Step 2 — A ramp lets them push the box up a slanted, longer path.
Step 3 — Pushing along the ramp needs less effort at each moment.
Answer: A ramp makes it easier to move heavy things up.

• What is a ramp?
• Name one place where you have seen a ramp.
• Why do workers use a ramp to load heavy sacks onto a truck?

Stretch: Find a slide or a sloped path near your home or school. How is it similar to a ramp used for loading?

Revision tip: Remember: a ramp is a slanted surface that makes moving things up or down easier.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Ramps Help Us.