This minicourse was prepared for use with secondary physics students in the Dallas Independent School District and is one option in a physics program which provides for the selection of topics on the basis of student career needs and interests. This minicourse was aimed at two levels in the study of basic machines. The "light" level introduces the basic machines of technical physics. The "heavy" level treats the technical aspects of motion associated with basic machines in a precise and mathematically involved fashion. The minicourse was designed for independent student use with close teacher supervision and was developed as an ESEA Title III project. A rationale, behavioral objectives, student activities, and resource packages are included. Student activities and resource packages involve investigating levers, pulleys, wheel and axle, inclined plane, and screw jack machines, and applying the concept of mechanical advantage. A technical description of forces, moments, equilibrium, and motion emphasizes the vector nature of forces and moments and uses mathematical representations and analyses of these. (GS)