http://www.ck12.org Chapter 16. Work and Machines
FIGURE 16.11
A ramp is a machine because it makes
work easier by changing a force. How
does it change force?Problem:Rani puts 10,000 joules of work into a car jack. The car jack, in turn, puts out 7000 joules of work to raise
up the car. What is the efficiency of the jack?
Mechanical Advantage of Machines
Another measure of the effectiveness of a machine is its mechanical advantage. Mechanical advantageis the
number of times a machine multiplies the input force. It can be calculated with the equation:
Mechanical Advantage=
Output force
Input forceThis equation computes the actual mechanical advantage of a machine. It takes into account the reduction in output
force that is due to friction. It shows how much a machine actually multiplies force when it used in the real world.
Ideal Mechanical Advantage
It can be difficult to measure the input and output forces needed to calculate actual mechanical advantage. It’s
usually much easier to measure the input and output distances. These measurements can then be used to calculate
the ideal mechanical advantage. The ideal mechanical advantage represents the multiplication of input force that
would be achieved in the absence of friction. Therefore, it is greater than the actual mechanical advantage because
all machines use up some work in overcoming friction. Ideal mechanical advantage is calculated with the equation:
Ideal Mechanical Advantage=
Input distance
Output distance