Key difference: Mechanically, equipments are required to design the machines. A machine is a tool, which is used to operate any task, whereas equipment is a set of tools necessary for a particular purpose.

The word ‘machine’ is derived from the Latin word ‘machina'. The modern meaning of the word is influenced due its specialized application in the military siege engines. They are also used in the stage engines, which are used in theater.

The idea of a “simple machine” originated with the Greek philosopher Archimedes, who studied the machines, lever, pulley, and screw, and discovered the principle of mechanical advantage in the lever. Furthermore, the Greek Philosophers defined the classic five simple machines, which were used to roughly calculate the mechanical advantages. Heron of Alexandria in his study listed the five mechanisms as the lever, windlass, pulley, wedge, and screw, which were known to set a load in a motion. Flemish engineer Simon Stevin derived the mechanical advantages of the inclined plane that was merged with the simple machines. Leonardo da Vinci also contributed to the study of machines by discovering the classic rules of sliding friction.

A simple machine is a device that simply transforms the direction or magnitude of a force. It is a tool that consists of one or more parts, and uses energy to meet a particular goal. The evolution of machines started with the beginning of Industrial revolution, and brought changes in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology, due to which there was a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times.

Machines are usually powered by the mechanical, chemical, thermal, or electrical means, and are often motorized. In the modern era, the advents of electronic technology have converted a machine into a form of non-movable development power tool. Machines are used broadly in the field of mechanics. The word mechanical refers to the work that has been produced by machines or the machinery. It mostly relates to the machinery tools and the mechanical applications of science. They are assembled from a standardized type of components. These consist of mechanical elements that control the movement in various ways, such as, gear trains, transistor switches, belt or chain drives, linkages, cam and follower systems, brakes and clutches, and structural components such as frame members and fasteners. The modern machines include sensors, actuators and computer controllers. The machines are assembled, designed and used for the mechanisms and automation, where they are actually operated. They are further controlled by the controllers, which are also of a type of machines.

Machines are of different types as:

• Simple machines
• Engines
• Electrical machines
• Electronic machines
• Computing machines
• Molecular machines
• Etc.

Equipment has a wider definition, which basically refers to things needed for a certain task. They act as a set of facilities used in the mechanical works or any other works. The equipment can also be said to be a set of tools used by a human being for a specific task. They are machines or major tools necessary to complete a given task. They are items which are essential for the development of any structure from its initial stage till the final stage. They comprise of any appropriate set of tools required to generate the machine.

Equipments basically serve as tools, essential for the mechanical needs, to repair a machine. They are the most important items that have enabled the ancient humans to climb to the top of the food chain. They are things which help in the acquirement of any desired substance. A tool generally is any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal, especially if the item is not consumed in the process. Informally, it also describes a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Equipments are essential in the designing, developing, constructing, manufacturing, supplying fields of any commodity.

Equipments may comprise of numerous essential commodities, which play a vital role in the development and requirement. They are:

• Tools
• Military equipment
• Medical equipment
• Sports equipment
• Mobile equipment
• Mechanical equipment of machines
• Heavy equipment at the construction site
• Self propelled passenger equipment 
• Rocket climbing equipment and many more.

Comparison between Machine and Equipment:

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