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Why We Use Machines.

Machines help us to accomplish
tasks more easily.
Machines change the amount or
direction of the force we must use
to accomplish a task.

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There Is a Cost!
Whenever we use a machine, the
amount of work that we must do will
be greater than if we had done the
job without the machine.
Why?

Friction
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Mechanical Advantage
Machines are rated by their Mechanical
Advantage.
Mechanical Advantage is the ratio of
how much force is exerted by the
machine (Fo) to how much force must
be exerted on the machine (Fi).
MA = Fo
Fi
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Ideal Mechanical Advantage

Ideal Mechanical Advantage is the
Mechanical Advantage the machine
would have if there were no energy
losses due to friction.
IMA is the ratio between the input
distance to the output distance.
IMA = di
do
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Calculating MA and IMA

To calculate the MA and IMA of a
machine, you must know the input and
output forces and the input and output
distances for that machine.
As we continue with the presentation,
please complete the table passed out
by your teacher to help you organize the
information about each type of machine.
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The Lever Family

Levers
Wheel and Axle
Pulleys

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First Class Lever

Input Force Output force Input
Distance

Output
Distance

The force
you exert

Distance
from the
output force
to the
fulcrum

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The weight Distance

of the object from the
being moved input force
to the
fulcrum

Second Class Lever

Input Force Output force Input

Distance

Output
Distance

The force
you exert

Distance
from the
output
force to the
fulcrum

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The weight Distance

of the object from the
being moved input force
to the
fulcrum

Third Class Lever

Input Force Output force Input

Distance

Output
Distance

The force
you exert

Distance
from the
output
force to the
fulcrum

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The weight Distance

of the object from the
being moved input force
to the
fulcrum

Wheel and
Axle
Input
Force

Output
force

The force The force

you exert exerted by
the axle or
the weight
being lifted.
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Input
Distance

Output
Distance

The radius The radius of

of the
the axle
crank,
handle, or
wheel

Pulley
The IMA of a pulley can also
be calculated by counting the
number of ropes pulling up
on the load.

Input
Force

Output force

Input
Distance

The force The weight of How far

you exert the object
you pull
being lifted
the rope
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Output
Distance
How far the
object is
lifted

The Inclined Plane Family

Inclined Plane
Wedge
Screw

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Inclined Plane

Input Force Output

force
The force
you exert to
push the
object up
the ramp
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Input
Distance

Output
Distance

The weight The length of The height

of the
the incline
of the
object
incline
being
moved

Wedges

Input
Force

Output force

Input
Distance

Output
Distance

The force
you exert
to push the
wedge in
or under

The weight of
the object being
lifted OR the
force to separate
the object

The
length the
wedge is
pushed in
or under

How far
up or
apart the
object
moves

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Screw

Input
Force

Output force

Input Distance

Output
Distance

The force
you exert
to turn
the screw

The force
needed to
separate the
material or
lift the load

The
circumference
of the screw
(2r)

The
pitch of
the
screw
threads

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IMA versus MA
If the world was perfect and there was
no friction then:
IMA = MA and Wi = Wo
But, the world is not perfect and IMA is
always greater than MA. However, for
preliminary designs, we can start by
assuming that IMA = MA.
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Designing a Machine
To design a machine, you need the
following information:
The type of machine that best suits the
situation.
The force that you can exert.
The output force that is needed.

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Calculate the MA of the Machine

Calculate the MA by dividing the force
you need by what you can exert.
For example, let us say that we want to
lift a rock that weighs 500 N, but can
only exert a force of 100 N. The MA of
our machine would have to be:
MA = Fo = 500 N = 5
Fi 100 N
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Choose the Machine and Calculate

IMA
Select the type of machine that is best
for the situation. In this example, I would
choose a 1st class lever.
Assume that there is no friction and that
IMA = MA. In this example, MA =5,
therefore, IMA = 5.

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Design the Machine

The IMA of a 1st class lever is:
IMA = di = Distance from the input force to the fulcrum
do Distance from the output force to the
fulcrum

In this example, the IMA = 5. If I place

the fulcrum 50 cm from the rock, then
the do will equal 50 cm.
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Design the Machine

Using the formula for IMA, I can
calculate how long the lever must be
and/or how far away from the fulcrum I
must exert my force (di).
IMA = di or di = IMA x do
do
For this example
di = IMA x do = 5 x 50 cm = 250 cm
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Your Turn to Try!

You need to lift a 600 N weight using a
winch (wheel and axle). You can exert
only 75 N and the axle of the winch has
a radius of 4 cm. How long must the
handle of the winch be?
You want to push a 1000 N box up a
ramp to a loading dock that is 3 m off
the ground. You can only exert a force
of 200 N. How long must the ramp be?
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Efficiency
The efficiency of a simple machine is a
comparison between how much work you put
into the machine versus how much you get
out.
Percent efficiency is easily calculated by
using one of the formulas below:
% Efficiency = Wo x 100 = Fo x do x 100
Wi
Fi x d i
OR
% Efficiency = MA x 100
IMA
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Conclusion
Remember, machines change the size
and direction of forces, but that change
comes at a cost.

The use of machines

always require more
work.
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