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Mechanical advantage facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Kraft umformende Einrichtungen.
Machines that multiply force.

Mechanical advantage (also written as MA in formulas) is the factor by which a machine multiplies force. The mechanical advantage of a machine can be used to find out how well a machine works and whether it can perform a particular job.

The mechanical advantage of a machine is the ratio of the load (the resistance overcome by a machine) to the effort (the force applied).

MA = \frac{\text{output force}}{\text{input force}}

For an ideal (without friction) mechanism, it is also equal to:

MA = \frac{\text{distance over which effort is applied}}{\text{distance over which the load is moved}}

There is no unit for mechanical advantages since the unit for both input and output forces cancel out.

Images for kids

  • Gears animation

    Two meshing gears transmit rotational motion.

  • Tackles

    The mechanical advantage of a block and tackle equals the number of sections of rope that support the moving block; shown here it is 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ventaja mecánica para niños

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