Mechanical Advantage and Simple Machines

Mechanical advantage of a lever with 90 N effort and 270 N load.

• 2.0

• 3.0

• 4.0

• 1.5

Resistance force

• Load

• Friction

• Gravity

• Tension

IMA stands for

• Ideal Mechanical Advantage

• Instantaneous Mechanical Advantage

• Integrated Mechanical Advantage

• Internal Mechanical Advantage

MA stands for

• Mechanical Advantage

• Mass Acceleration

• Mechanical Affinity

• Mass Advantage

Mechanical advantage of a lever is not affected by

• The weight of the load

• The length of the lever arm

• The angle of the lever

• The friction at the pivot point

Always true for a second-class lever

• It provides a mechanical advantage greater than 1.

• It is always used to lift heavy objects.

• It has the effort applied between the load and the fulcrum.

• It can only be used in horizontal applications.

Resistance force.

• The load lifted.

• The force applied to lift an object.

• The weight of the object being lifted.

• The friction opposing the motion.

First-class lever characteristic

• Fulcrum is between the effort and the load

• Fulcrum is at one end of the lever

• Load is between the effort and the fulcrum

• Effort is applied at the load end

Wheelbarrow as a lever.

• Example of a first-class lever.

• Example of a second-class lever.

• Example of a third-class lever.

• Not a lever at all.

Action that increases the mechanical advantage of a lever

• Increasing the effort arm length

• Decreasing the load weight

• Shortening the lever arm

• Using a heavier lever material