(a) State with reasons whether the weight W of the rule is greater than, less than or equal to the effort E.
(b) Find the mechanical advantage in an ideal case.
Solutions:
(a) The scale’s weight W is greater than E.
The arm on the side of effort E is 30 cm long, and the arm on the side of the scale weight is 10 cm long. To balance the scale, the weight W of the scale must be greater than the effort E.
(b) We know that the expression for mechanical advantage is as follows –
M.A. = Effort arm / Load arm
We have, Effort arm = 30 cm and the Load arm = 10 cm
Therefore upon substituting values, we get = M.A. = 30 / 10
M.A. = 3