一根质量近似为零、几乎没有形变伸长的细绳跨在一个光滑的、无转动的滑轮上,绳子的两端分别挂着两个重量略为不等的重物,这样一个装置,很久以来一直是物理教科书上的主要内容.命名为阿特伍德机的这个装置已经证明了是对某些问题的一个很丰富的思想源泉,很少有学理工的学生能避开不去分析这些问题。真正的阿特伍德机是比较复杂的,可以用来说明加速度为零或一恒定值的若干情况.本文是用现代的术语和数学语言对阿特伍德机及其应用的原始描写进行再述,并且讨论用它可以做的实验. A string with a mass of approximately zero, with almost no elongation in tension, straddles a smooth, non-rotating sheave, with two weights of slightly different weights hanging at each end of the string. Such a device, for a long time It has been the main content in physics textbooks. The device named Atwood Machine has proved to be a very rich source of thought for certain problems. Few science and engineering students can avoid analyzing these problems. The real Atwood machine is more complex and can be used to illustrate several situations where the acceleration is zero or a constant value. This article describes the original description of the Atwood machine and its applications in modern terms and mathematical languages. And discuss the experiments that can be done with it.