Simple Machines & Mechanical Advantage RHS Technology Education
Simple Machines are Designed to… Transfer kinetic energy (the energy of motion) Reduce the effort needed to move a load Change the direction or amount of motion Change the type of motion (rotary to straight line)
Mechanical Advantage What is Mechanical Advantage? a measure of how much the effort is decreased by the simple machine. Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) ignores internal friction How do I calculate IMA? IMA=Effort distance/Resistance distance
Lever A lever is a stiff bar which rotates around a point called the fulcrum. Can you list some examples of a lever?
1 st Class Levers
2 nd Class Lever
3 rd Class Lever
Mechanical Advantage of Lever IMA= Effort Arm (Effort to Fulcrum)/Resistance Arm (Resistance to Fulcrum)
Wheel and Axle A Wheel & Axle change rotary motion into linear motion IMA= Wheel Radius/ Axle Radius
Fixed Pulley Movable Pulley Block & Tackle The Three Types of Pulleys
Pulley IMA = is determined by counting the number of supporting ropes Last one over top does not count!
Inclined Plane IMA= Length of Slope/ Height of the Slope
Wedge IMA= Length of Sloped Edge / Separation Surface
Effort Inclined Plane Effort Wedge Inclined Plane vs. Wedge
Screw A screw works by using a twisting motion to create torsion
Screw IMA= 3.14x Diameter/ Distance between threads (lead)
Practice Problem Calculate the mechanical advantage of the screw shown In this example: The diameter is (1/4)” The lead is 1/20 What is the IMA of this screw?