An inclined plane, in its basic form we often refer to as a ramp, overcomes the pull of gravity.
Inclined plane via kwout
The inclined plane supports a portion of the weight of the object. The steeper the slope of the ramp, the less the pull of gravity it overcomes.
Therefore, you are only overcoming the friction between the ramp and the object as well as the portion of the pull of gravity absorbed by the ramp.
The longer the ramp and the more shallow the slope, the easier it will be to move the object using an inclined plane. You will need to travel a greater distance with the object you are trying to move, but the force required will be significantly less.
There are 6 basic simple machines; the lever, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, the pulley, and the screw. Several of these simple machines are related to each other. But, each has a specific purpose in the world of doing work.
Simple machines can be combined together to form compound machines. Many of our everyday tools and the objects we use are really compound machine. Scissors are a good example. The edge of the blades are wedges. But the blades are combined with a lever to make the two blades come together to cut.
Learn more about simple machines at Idahoptv.org.