During 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 work they could perform, leading eventually to the new concept of mechanical work.
Durante o Renacemento a dinámica das potencias mecánicas, como se chamaba as máquinas simples, comezou a ser estudada dende o punto de vista da cantidade de traballo útil que podían realizaren, o que levou finalmente ao concepto de traballo mecánico.