A lever has an effort arm of 3 m and load arm of 1 m. What is the mechanical advantage?

MA = effort arm / load arm = 3/1 = 3. You only need 1/3 of the force, but you push 3× farther.

If a pulley system has MA=4, how much force is needed to lift a 200 N weight?

MA = Load/Effort → Effort = Load/MA = 200/4 = 50 N. But you pull the rope 4× farther than the weight moves.

Name an example of each: lever, pulley, inclined plane in real life.

Lever: seesaw, scissors, bottle opener. Pulley: flagpole, crane, window blinds. Inclined plane: ramp, staircase, slide.

A ramp (inclined plane) is 5 m long and raises a load 1 m high. What is the MA, and how much force is needed to push a 300 N box up the ramp?

MA = length/height = 5/1 = 5. Effort = 300/5 = 60 N (ignoring friction).

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Simple Machines

Levers, pulleys, and inclined planes — making work easier

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How it works

Simple machines are devices that make work easier by changing the force needed or the direction of force. There are six types: lever (a rigid bar pivoting on a fulcrum), pulley (a wheel with a rope), inclined plane (a ramp), wheel and axle (a large and small wheel together), wedge (two inclined planes), and screw (an inclined plane wrapped in a spiral). Mechanical advantage (MA) tells you how much a machine multiplies your force. MA > 1 means less force required (but more distance traveled). Work = Force × Distance; simple machines cannot create energy, they only redistribute it. W_in = W_out (in an ideal machine without friction).

Step-by-step

Select a machine type and adjust the arm lengths (for the lever) or other parameters.
Watch the MA calculation update.
Try lifting a heavy load with and without the machine — see how much less force the machine requires.
Remember: you always have to move a greater distance when using less force!

Key formulas

$MA = \frac{\text{Load Force}}{\text{Effort Force}} = \frac{d_{\text{effort}}}{d_{\text{load}}}$ Mechanical Advantage — how much the machine multiplies your force
$W = F \times d \quad (\text{work is conserved, never created})$ Work in = Work out (ignoring friction). Less force = more distance.

Frequently asked questions

A lever has an effort arm of 3 m and load arm of 1 m. What is the mechanical advantage?: MA = effort arm / load arm = 3/1 = 3. You only need 1/3 of the force, but you push 3× farther.
If a pulley system has MA=4, how much force is needed to lift a 200 N weight?: MA = Load/Effort → Effort = Load/MA = 200/4 = 50 N. But you pull the rope 4× farther than the weight moves.
Name an example of each: lever, pulley, inclined plane in real life.: Lever: seesaw, scissors, bottle opener. Pulley: flagpole, crane, window blinds. Inclined plane: ramp, staircase, slide.
A ramp (inclined plane) is 5 m long and raises a load 1 m high. What is the MA, and how much force is needed to push a 300 N box up the ramp?: MA = length/height = 5/1 = 5. Effort = 300/5 = 60 N (ignoring friction).