Question

If a pulley system with an actual mechanical advantage of 2,000,000 is used in lifting a 2,000 lb. car, what effort would be needed to move the car?

Answer 1

Answer:

0.001 lb

Explanation:

The mechanical advantage of a pulley system is given by:

$MA=\frac{F_L}{F_E}$

where FL is the load while FE is the effort.

In this problem, we know the mechanical advantage, MA=2,000,000, and we know the value of the load, FL=2,000 lb, so we can re-arrange the equation to find the effort:

$F_E=\frac{F_L}{MA}=\frac{2,000 lb}{2,000,000}=0.001 lb$