For water wheels used to drive boats, see
paddle wheel. For wheels used solely to lift water see
noria. For factories or industries driven by water wheels see
watermill.A water wheel is a
hydropower system; a machine for extracting power from the flow of water. Water wheels and hydropower was widely used in the
Middle Ages, powering most industry in
Europe, along with the
windmill. The most common use of the water wheel was to mill flour in
gristmills, but other uses included foundry work and machining, and pounding
linen for use in
paper.
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