Mechanical Advantage Calculator
Make use of the free Mechanical Advantage Calculator tool to get the mechanical average of pulley, lever, screw, wedge, ramp(inclined plane), wheel and axle. You just need to enter the input fields and click on the calculate button to get the mechanical average easily.
Ex: 10, 167, 48, 34.5 or 90
Mechanical Advantage Calculator: Have a look at how simple machines like pulley, wheel, lever makes life easier on this page. This Pulley Mechanical Advantage Calculator gives you what factor do these simple machines amplify the force. Candidates need to enter all those simple machines input fields and press the calculate button to avail the mechanical advantage of each one individually and easily.
You can also find the step by step process to get the mechanical advantage of level, wheel, etc in the following sections. Find the formulas and solved examples that helps for a better understanding of the concept.
Steps to Calculate Mechanical Advantage
Mechanical advantage is defined as the ratio of output force to the input force. Get the detailed process and formulas to compute the lever, screw, pulley, wedge, ramp, wheel and axes mechanical advantage in the below sections.
Mechanical Advantage of a Lever
- Find the distance between the point of effort and fulcrum which is the effort arm and the distance between the point of resistance and fulcrum which is the load arm.
- Divide the effort arm value by the load arm.
- The result is called the lever mechanical advantage.
Mechanical Advantage of Pulley
- Get the number of pulleys that are directly attached to the object from the question.
- Multiply that number by 2 to get the pulley mechanical advantage.
Lead Screw Mechanical Advantage
- Observe the diameter of the screw shaft and lead of the thread from the question.
- Divide the diameter by the lead.
- Multiply the result by π to find the mechanical advantage of the screw.
Wedge Mechanical Advantage
- Find the width and length of the wedge.
- Divide the width by length to check the mechanical advantage of the wedge.
Mechanical Advantage of Ramp(Inclined Plane)
- Make a note of the ramp length and ramp height.
- Divide the length by height to get the ramp mechanical advantage.
Wheel and Axle Mechanical Advantage
- Get the wheel radius and axel radius.
- Divide the wheel radius by the axel radius to find the mechanical advantage of the wheel and axle.
Mechanical Advantage and Formulas
Mechanical advantage is nothing but the division of output force to input force. Here we can get the formulas of 6 simple machines they are screw, wedge, ramp, lever, pulley, wheel and axle.
MA = Output force/ input force
Lever:
The point where we can apply input force is called the effort.
The point that remains stationary is a fulcrum.
Resistance is the load.
Mechanical Advantage = effort arm/load arm
Pulley:
It is a simple machine made up of wheels and ropes. Two wheels make one pulley.
Mecahnical Advantage = 2 * n
Here, n is the number of pulleys connected to the object.
Screw:
A screw has a threaded cylindrical shaft and a head.
MA = π * diameter of the screw shaft / lead of the thread.
Wedge:
A wedge is a triangle shape and is used to lift heavy objects or split the object into two parts.
MA = thickness/length
Where,
thickness is measured in a horizontal direction.
Length is measured in the vertical direction.
Ramp(inclined plane):
The ramp is a flat surface inclined at an angle to the horizontal.
MA = L/V
MA = 1/sinθ
Where L is the ramp length
V is the ramp height
θ is the angle between the slant length and horizontal line.
Wheel and Axle:
A wheel and axle is a machine having two parts. BY applying a small force to the wheel on the outside, it will be transformed to the smaller axle and amplified.
MA = Wheel radius / axle radius
Example
Question: Estimate the mechanical advantage if 250 N force is needed to overcome the load of 600 N.
Solution:
Given that
input force = 250 N
output force = 600 N
Mechanical Advantage = output force/input force
= 600/250
= 2.4
Therefore, the mechanical advantage is 2.4
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FAQs on Mechanical Advantage Calculator
1. What is meant by mechanical advantage?
Mechanical advatange is nothing but the advantage gained by using a machanism of transmitting force. It measure the force amplification achieved using a mechine system or mechanical device.
2. How to Calculate Mechanical Advantage?
Mechanical advantage is the ratio of output force to the input force. Substitute the values in the formula and divide them to get the MA value.
3. What are the formulas of mechanical advantage?
Mechanical advantage is used to analyze forces in various simple machines like lever, pulley, screw, wedge, ramp, wheel and axle. Their formulas are lever MA = effort arm/load arm, pulley MA = 2 * number of pulleys, screw MA = π * diameter/lead, Wedge MA = wedge length/wedge thickness, ramp MA = ramp length / ramp height, Wheel and axle mA = wheel radius / axle radius.
4. What is the mechanical disadvantage?
If a lever's load arm is longer than its effort arm, then it is called mechanical disadvantage. It has a low load force to effort ratio.