Wedge

A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines.

The wedge simply transports energy in the form of friction and collects it to the pointy end, consequently breaking the item.

The faces of a wedge are modeled as straight lines to form a sliding or prismatic joint.

In ancient Egyptian quarries, bronze wedges were used to break away blocks of stone used in construction.

Some indigenous peoples of the Americas used antler wedges for splitting and working wood to make canoes, dwellings and other objects.

The tips of forks and nails are also wedges, as they split and separate the material into which they are pushed or driven; the shafts may then hold fast due to friction.

The blade's first known use by humans was the sharp edge of a flint stone that was used to cleave or split animal tissue, e.g. cutting meat.

The blade of the knife allowed humans to cut meat, fibers, and other plant and animal materials with much less force than it would take to tear them apart by simply pulling with their hands.

Other examples of wedges are found in drill bits, which produce circular holes in solids.

When the drill bit spins on its axis of rotation, the wedges are forced into the material to be separated.

Therefore, in an elastic material such as wood, friction may bind a narrow wedge more easily than a wide one.