The Principles of Lever: Calculating Mechanical Advantage and Distance
How can we calculate the mechanical advantage of a lever?
A gardener uses a shovel as a lever to lift a 200N rock a distance of 0.20 meters by applying 50N of force. What is the mechanical advantage of the lever?
How far does the gardener have to push the shovel down to lift the rock?
A gardener uses a shovel as a lever to lift a 200N rock a distance of 0.20 meters by applying 50N of force. How far down does the gardener have to push the shovel?
Answer:
The shovel has a mechanical advantage of 4. To lift the rock, the gardener would have to push the shovel 0.80 meters down.
The data presents a scenario where a gardener is using a shovel as a lever to lift a 200N rock over a distance of 0.20 meters. By applying 50N of force to the end of the shovel, the gardener succeeds in achieving the task.
Mechanical Advantage (MA):
The Mechanical Advantage (MA) of a lever is calculated by dividing the Load Force by the Effort Force. In this case, the Load Force is 200N (the weight of the rock), and the Effort Force is 50N (the force applied by the gardener). By applying the formula: MA = Load Force / Effort Force, we find that the mechanical advantage of the lever is 4.
Gardener's Required Distance:
According to the principle of conservation of energy, the work done on one side of a simple machine like a lever must equal the work done on the other side. Work is calculated as Force multiplied by Distance. To determine how far down the gardener needs to push the shovel, we use the formula: Distance = Load Force x Load Distance / Effort Force. Plugging in the values, we get: Distance = 200N x 0.20m / 50N = 0.80m. Hence, the gardener needs to push the shovel 0.80 meters down to lift the rock.
Conclusion:Understanding the principles of levers, mechanical advantage, and work calculation is essential in solving real-world problems involving simple machines. By applying these concepts, we can determine the efficiency and effectiveness of various mechanical systems.