Usually the term refers to the six classical simple machines which were

defined by Renaissance scientists:

Lever
Wheel and axle
Pulley
Inclined plane
Wedge
Screw
Simple machines fall into two classes; those dependent on the vector
resolution of forces inclined plane! wedge! screw" and those in which there
is an e#uilibrium of tor#ues lever! pulley! wheel"$
History
%he idea of a &simple machine& originated with the 'ree(
philosopher )rchimedes around the *rd century +,! who studied the
&)rchimedean& simple machines: lever! pulley! and screw$ -e discovered the
principle of mechanical advantage in the lever$ Later 'ree( philosophers
defined the classic five simple machines excluding the inclined plane" and
were able to roughly calculate their mechanical advantage$ -eron of
)lexandria ca$ ./012 )3" in his wor( Mechanics lists five mechanisms that
can &set a load in motion&; lever! windlass! pulley! wedge! and screw! and
describes their fabrication and uses$
4.25
-owever the 'ree(s6 understanding
was limited to the statics of simple machines; the balance of forces! and did
not include dynamics; the tradeoff between force and distance! or the
concept of wor($
3uring the Renaissance the dynamics of the Mechanical Powers! as the
simple machines were called! began to be studied from the standpoint of
how much useful wor( they could perform! leading eventually to the new
concept of mechanical wor($ In .278 9lemish engineer Simon
Stevin derived the mechanical advantage of the inclined plane! and it was
included with the other simple machines$ %he complete dynamic theory of
simple machines was wor(ed out by Italian scientist 'alileo 'alilei in .8//
in Le Meccaniche &:n ;echanics&"$ -e was the first to understand that
simple machines do not create energy! only transform it$ %he classic rules of
sliding friction in machines were discovered by Leonardo da <inci .=2>0
.2.?"! but remained unpublished in his noteboo(s$ %hey were rediscovered
by 'uillaume )montons .8??" and were further developed by ,harles@
)ugustin de ,oulomb .172"$