Energy & Work

Students construct a complex system of six pulleys and determine its ideal mechanical advantage. They then use the system to lift a weight and measure the work input and energy output of the system. They calculate the actual mechanical advantage and efficiency of the system and evaluate the system for sources of loss.
Required Equipment
Workshop Stand [...]

Students will elevate the car in two ways: lifting directly and pulling up the ramp. They will find that it takes less force to pull the car up the ramp, but they do more work. The extra energy goes into friction in the system.

In the first lab, students will investigate the arrangements of weights that result in equilibrium (balance) in the lever system. They will find that both the force and the distance from the fulcrum are important in evaluating the system. This investigation leads naturally into a study of torque. In the next three labs, students will [...]