water wheels
Stream-driven mill machinery
A water wheel is a large wheel fitted with paddles or buckets around its rim, positioned to be turned by flowing or falling water.
The rotation drives machinery—historically for grinding grain, sawing lumber, or powering early factories.
Water wheels were the primary source of mechanical power before steam engines: The old mill's water wheel still turns, though it powers nothing now.
- hydropowerElectricity from flowing currents
- mechanical energyEnergy from motion/position
- paddlesHandheld water propulsion tools
- millingProcessing grain mechanically
- flowsMoves in a current
shaduf · rotation · stream · gearwheel · rivers · river bank · mill race · axle · sluices · irrigation · gristmills · kinetic energy · pulleys · buckets · aqueducts · efficiency · spinning · creaking
- water systemsirrigation ditches, irrigation, pipes, tanks, wells
- Rural Americafarm, barns, heartland, countryside, Midwest
- water civilizationNile, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Tigris
- fluid funbubbles, splash, pour, flow, floating
- harnessed energysolar power, wind power, hydroelectric, geothermal, nuclear power
- farm heritagefarmstead, barns, farm tools, farmhouses, barn dance
water wheelswindmills
Rotating vaned power structures
treadwheels · steam engines · solar panels · wind turbines · treadmills
water wheelswater turbines
Flow-spun power devices
turbines · electric generators · power plants · nuclear power