Mechanical Advantage Review

MOVIE 1 shows Early Carlyon teaching a review lesson on Mechanical Advantage that uses a demonstration and drawings. The movie begins with an important quote from Archimedes: "Give me a lever long enough and a prop (fulcrum) strong enough, and I can single-handedly move the world."
What the Greek philosopher did not mention was the critical role that Trade-Offs play in Mechanical Advantage (MA) -- see lesson on Ramps for more on Trade-Offs. One person could move the world with a lever, but only when the Applied Force traveled a tremendously large distance, which results in a large force being felt by the Earth (Load).

The formula for Work (Input) = Work (Output), or Force x Distance = Force x Distance, is the fundamental equation for any study of Mechanical Advantage. In this lesson, Earl blends physics-styled free-body drawings using force vectors with a demo of a simple lever to tell the story of Mechanical Advantage.