⚙️ MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE
PAGE 1 OF 5, FORCE MULTIPLIERS
SIMPLE MACHINES
DO MORE WITH LESS FORCE
You cannot create energy from nothing, but you can trade force for distance. Simple machines like levers, pulleys, gears, and screws let you apply a smaller input force to produce a larger output force on a load. The catch is you must push or pull over a greater distance. Ancient builders used ramps and levers to move blocks weighing many tonnes. Mechanical advantage (MA) quantifies this boost: MA equals output force divided by input force. An MA of 4 means the machine delivers four times the force you put in, ideal for lifting heavy loads with human muscle.
⚙️ MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE
MA = output force ÷ input force. An MA greater than 1 means the machine multiplies force. You pay for it by moving farther than the load moves.
MULTIPLY!
INPUT FORCE
💪 Effort you apply (input)
📏 You move a longer distance
🔋 Same work, spread differently
📏 You move a longer distance
🔋 Same work, spread differently
OUTPUT FORCE
🏋️ Force on the load (output)
⬆️ Load moves a shorter distance
⚖️ MA = output ÷ input force
⬆️ Load moves a shorter distance
⚖️ MA = output ÷ input force