Chapter

10
SIMPLE
MACHINE
 Objectives
• After studying this chapter, you
should be able to
• define simple machine and
compound machine
• identify simple machine found in the
compound machine
• calculate the mechanical advantage
efficiency of a machine
 10.1 Machine
• A machine is a tool which
makes doing work easier by
multiplying forces or simply
changing the direction of
forces. It is a simple device
that affects the force, or effort,
needed to do a certain amount
of work.
•Machines can make a
tough job seem easier
by enabling a person
to apply less force or
to apply force in a
direction that is
easier to manipulate.
•Machines lessen the force
needed to perform work by
lengthening the distance
over which the force is
applied. Although less
force is subsequently used,
the amount of work that
results remains the same.
10.1.1 How Do Machines Help
Us?
•There are many
different types of
machines with
varying capabilities
and functions. These
machines may:
•Transform energy (change
from one type of energy to
another type). Example: a
generator can change
mechanical energy to
electrical energy; a steam
turbine changes thermal
(heat) energy to mechanical
energy.
•Transfer (deliver)
energy. Example:
an automobile's
drive train
transfers energy to
the rear wheels.
•Increase or
multiply force.
Example: pulleys
can lift more
weight with less
force.
•Increase or multiply
the speed. Example:
as you pedal a bicycle
you turn the bicycle's
gears, however the
bicycle wheels move
faster than the gears.
•Changes the
direction of the
force. Example:
you pull a flag
pole pulley down
to raise the flag.
Reduce
friction.
 10.2 Types of Simple
Machine
• 1. Lever – A lever is a board or bar
that rests on a turning point. This
turning point is called the fulcrum.
An object that a lever moves is called
the load. The closer the object is to
the fulcrum, the easier it is to move.
Scissors, pliers, bottle openers,
shovels, wheel barrows, human arm
are actually levers.
•There are two forces act on a
lever, the load or the
resistance and the effort.
That portion of the lever
between the fulcrum and the
load is the resistance or load
arm and that portion
between the fulcrum and the
effort is called the effort arm.
•2. Pulley - The pulley is a
special type of wheel,
called a sheave, which has
a groove cut into the edge
to guide a rope, cable, or
chain. Pulleys are used at
the top of flagpoles and in
some types of window
blinds.
• 3. Inclined plane - It is a flat
surface that is higher on one
end. You can use this machine
to move an object to a lower or
higher place. You would need
less energy and force to move
objects with an inclined
plane. Ramps and staircases
are simple examples of inclined
planes.
• An inclined plane is an object that
decreases the effort needed to lift an
object by increasing the distance
over which the effort is applied. This
increase in distance allows a person
to move a large object to a certain
height while applying less force than
would otherwise be needed.
(Without the plane, a person would
need to lift with a force equal to the
entire weight of the object.
•Screw - a screw is
a form of inclined
plane in which the
plane is
wrapped around an
axis, or pole
• Wedge - the wedge is really
made up of two inclined
planes arranged back to
back.
• Tools like scissors, knives,
axes,
chisels, pins, nails, and can
openers are wedge-lever
combinations
• 4. Wheel and axle - the wheel and axle
is a lever consisting of a large wheel
and a smaller one fastened together.

The radius of the wheel corresponds to

the arm of the lever. Example:
doorknobs, steering wheels, eggbeaters,
screw drivers and hand drills.

Gears are toothed wheel and axle.

10.3 Mechanical Advantage
•Measuring the
mechanical advantage
(MA) is a mathematical
way to determine how
much a machine affects
the amount of force
needed to do work.
•The actual mechanical
advantage (AMA) is the ratio
of the resistance force (load)
to the effort force (force
exerted) or it is the ratio of
the output force exerted by
the machine on the load to
the input force exerted by
the operator on the machine
•The Ideal Mechanical
advantage (IMA) or the
Theoretical Mechanical
Advantage (TMA) is the
ratio of the distance
moved by the effort to
the distance moved by
the resistance
 10.4 Efficiency of a
Machine
• Another factor that people
sometimes compute for machines is
their efficiency. The work that you
do on a machine is called the input
work. The work that the machine
does in return is called the output
work. The ratio of the output work
to the input work gives a measure of
the machine’s efficiency.
 Most simple machines
are very efficient, but
they always lose some
efficiency due to friction.
 10.5 Formulas for
Efficiency of Simple
Machine
Levers
•There are three types of
levers: They are classified
according to the position
of the fulcrum in relation
to the forces.
•A first class lever has
a fulcrum at the
center and the load
and the effort force
on its end. Seesaw,
Nail clippers are first
class levers.
Second Class Lever
•A second class lever
has the load located
in the middle, with
the fulcrum on one
side and the effort
on the other.
Third Class Lever
 Pulleys
•Pulleys are
found in almost
any car repair
shop.
 a. single fixed
pulley
• Single fixed pulley used to reverse the
direction of the force. The input force is
directed down, but the output force is
directed up.
• The actual mechanical advantage is the
weight raised divided by the input force.
• The ideal mechanical advantage is the
ratio of the displacement for the input
force to the displacement of the output
force.
 b. single movable
pulley
•In a single movable pulley the
load is raised by applying an
upward force. Since the
displacement for the load is
only ½ the input displacement,
the ideal mechanical advantage
of the single movable pulley is
2.
 c. single fixed and single
movable pulley
•In single fixed and
single movable
pulley the IMA is
also 2
•d. two pulleys with
in the fixed upper
block and two
pulleys in the
lower movable
block.
•In this type of pulley, the
IMA is equal to the
number of strands
supporting the load,
including the movable
block. Since it has 4
strands, then the IMA is
4.
 Inclined Plane
• The output force is equal to the
weight being raised. In raising
the load an input force is applied
parallel to the inclined plane. The
distance the load move is equal to
the height of the plane while the
distance the applied force move is
equal to the length of the plane.
 REVIEW
• 1. A 600 lb. piano is rolled up a 20 ft ramp at an
inclined angle of 30 0. A combined effort of 400
lb parallel to the ramp’s surface is exerted by
the men pushing the piano. Find a) AMA b)
TMA of the ramp.
• 2. A cavan of rice weighing 56 kg was lifted to a
height of 3 meters with a force of 20 kg. If the
force moved through a distance of 10 meters,
a) what is the AMA and TMA of a machine ?
b) What was the efficiency of the machine ?

• Ans. Eff. = 84 %
• 3. How much work is required to raise a mass of 74
kg. to a height of 4.2 m with a pulley system if the
efficiency of the system is 82 %
• Ans. 3.7 x 10 3 J.
• 4. A force of 86 N is required to push a wagon up an
inclined plane 20 m long. The wagon has a mass of
81 kg. and the end of the inclined plane rises 2 m off
the ground. Calculate the efficiency of this
application of a machine.
• 5. A force of 545 N is exerted on the rope of a pulley
system, and the rope is pulled in 10 m. This work
causes an object weighing 2520 N to be raised 1.5 m.
What is the efficiency of this machine?
• 6. Two people use a wheel and axle to raise a mass of
750 kg. The radius of the wheel is 0.5 m and the
radius of the axle is 0.040 m. If the efficiency of the
machine is 62 % and each person exerts an equal
force, how much force must each apply?
• 7. The raised end of an inclined plane 4m
long is 0.9 m high. Neglecting friction,
what force is required to push a steel box
weighing 750 N up this plane?
• 8. What power is required to raise a mass
of 47 kg to a height of 12 m in 15 seconds?
• 9. What power in kilowatts is supplied to a
12- hp motor, having an efficiency of 90 %,
when it is delivering its rated output?
• Ans. 9.95 kW
• 10. A man uses a pulley system to raise a
150-lb load to a height of 10 ft. If he exerts
a force on the rope of 50 lb. through a
distance of 35 ft to accomplish the work, a)
how much work does he do ? b) what is the
efficiency of the machine? Ans. Wk =
1750 [Link]. ; Eff. = 86 %
• 11. In a pulley system, there are 3 pulleys
In the lower block. One end of the cord is
attached to the upper block. A weight of
1,200 N is raised by an input force of 300
N. a) what is the ideal mechanical
advantage? b) what is the efficiency of the
machine?

• 12. The lever arm of the jackscrew is 80

cm and the pitch is 2 cm. SA 2,000-kg
load is raised by applying an input force
of 800 N. Find: a) the ideal mechanical
advantage b) the efficiency of the
machine
 Exercises No. 9
Simple Machine
• 1. A 110-kg load is raised with a lever. The
distance between the fulcrum and the load is 1
meter and the distance between the fulcrum and
the input force is 6 meters. If the input force is
220 newtons, find a) actual mechanical advantage,
b) ideal mechanical advantage, c) efficiency of this
simple machine.
• 2. An inclined plane 4.9 meters long and 1.3
meters high is used to raise a 500-kg load onto a
truck. If a force of 1,500 newtons parallel to the
inclined plane is needed to push the load up the
incline at constant speed, find the a) force of
friction, b) actual and ideal mechanical advantage,
c) efficiency of this inclined plane in percent.
• 3. The lever arm of a jackscrew is 90 cm and the pitch
is 2 cm. A 2,000 kg load is raised by applying an input
force of 800 newtons. Find a) the ideal mechanical
advantage, b) the efficiency of this machine.
• 4. What is the mechanical advantage of an inclined
plane of length 5 meter if the base is 4 meter?
• 5. An inclined plane 3 m long and 1 m high has an
actual mechanical advantage of 5. What is the
efficiency of this plane?
• 6. A 600-lb piano is rolled up a 20-ft ramp at an
inclined angle of 30 degrees. A combined effort of 400
lb parallel to the ramp's surface is exerted by the men
pushing the piano. Find, a) AMA, b) Ideal mechanical
advantage.
• 7. A force of 5 lb. was applied to a nutcracker 6 inches
long. If the nut was placed 1 inch from the fulcrum,
find the TMA of the nutcracker. What was the
resistance of the nut?
• 8. The lever arm of a jackscrew is
0.5 meter. If a force of 40 lb is
needed to raise a load of 5 X 104 N,
and the screw has 3 threads
reaching 3 cm, what is the efficiency
of the machine?
• 9. A simple pulley
system is shown
below. A 40N
effort is used to
move a 80N load.
The final effort
moves 2 meters
and at the same
time the load
moves 1 meter.
Calculate the
Efficiency of the
machine.
• 10. The pulley
shown below has
four pulleys
which support a
100 N load.
What effort is
required to lift
the 100N load?
How far does
the load move in
compared to the
4m movement of
the final effort?
• 11. A pulley system with an IMA of 4
requires a force of 15 N to lift a load
of 50 N. Find the efficiency of the
machine. Ans. 83 %
• 12. A man uses a pulley system to
raise a 150-lb load to a height of 10
ft. If he exerts a force on the rope of
50 lb through a distance of 35 ft to
accomplish the work, a) how much
work does he do? B) What is the
efficiency of the machine? Ans.
Wk,1750 ft-lb; Eff, 86%
• 13. Using the
wheel and axle
shown in the figure
below, a 400-N
load can be raised
by a force of 50 N
applied to the rim
of the wheel. The
radii of the wheel
and the axle are 85
cm and 6 cm,
respectively.
Determine the IMA,
AMA and efficiency
of the machine.