Question

A construction crew must use a lever to lift a boulder. The mechanical advantage of the lever is 6 and the lever applies a force of 1600 N to the rock. What is the force that the construction crew must apply to the lever?

Answer 1

Answer:

The force the construction crew must apply to the lever is 266.67 N

Explanation:

Mechanical advantage is the measure of the ratio of output force to input force in a system. Hence, mechanical advantage (MA) is given by the formula

$MA = \frac{F_{o} }{F_{i} }$

Where MA is the mechanical advantage

$F_{o}$ is the output force

and $F_{i}$ is the input force

From the question, the mechanical advantage of the lever is 6

That is, MA = 6

and the lever applies a force of 1600 N to the rock

That is, Output force, $F_{o}$ = 1600 N

To determine the force the construction crew must apply to the lever, that is the input force, $F_{i}$

From

$MA = \frac{F_{o} }{F_{i} }$

We can write that

$F_{i} = \frac{F_{o} }{MA}$

Then,

$F_{i} = \frac{1600N}{6}$

$F_{i} = 266.67 N$

Hence, the force the construction crew must apply to the lever is 266.67 N.