BREAD OF LIFE SCHOOL

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES

PHYSICS GRADE 10
SIMPLE MACHINES
 A machine is mechanical device which uses an effort to overcome a load.
 It is simply anything that makes work easy.
Terms associated with simple machines
i. Effort
 Symbol: E
 SI unit: Newton [N]
 Definition: Effort is the applied force.
ii. Load
 Symbol: L
 SI unit: Newton [N]
 Definition: Load is the force which the effort overcomes.
Load can also be defined as the force an object pulls or pushes on a machine.
iii. Mechanical advantage
 Symbol: M.A
 Definition: Mechanical advantage is the ratio of the load to the effort.

 Formula: M.A =
 Units: M.A has no units since it is a ratio whose units cancel each other.
 A machine with greater mechanical advantage is more efficient than the one with a
lower mechanical advantage:
i. If load > effort (M.A> 1): the machine is amplifying the effort (input
force) to overcome the load (output force).
I. If load<effort (M.A< 1): the machine is not amplifying the effort (input force);
the machine may be designed for speed or to assist in a task where a larger effort
(input force) is required to move a smaller load.
II. If load = effort (M.A= 1): the machine does not multiply effort (input force) but
may change its direction or provide a speed advantage.
Velocity ratio
 Alternative term: Ideal mechanical advantage or speed ratio
 Symbol: V.R
 Definition: Velocity ratio is the ratio of the distance moved by the effort to the
distance moved by the load

 Formula: V.R =
 Units: V.R has no units since it is a ratio whose units cancel each other.
 Velocity ratio depends on the geometry of the machine and not on friction.
Efficiency of a machine
 Symbol: η
 Definitions:
• Efficiency is the ratio of the useful energy output to the energy input
multiplied by 100%.
• Efficiency is the ratio of the power output to the power input multiplied
by 100%.

 Formulae: η= x 100%
 η= x 100%
𝑀.𝐴
η= 𝑉.𝑅
× 100%
Note:
 Efficiency of a machine can never be more than 100% because the energy output
(work done by a machine) is never more than energy in put (work done on the
machine)
 η < 100%
 M.A< V.R
 Generally, in an ideal situation, the efficiency of any machine is equal to100%
and this just theoretical. This means that M.A = V.R or energy output = energy
input.
 Efficiency of a machine cannot be 100% because;
• Some energy is used to overcome friction
• Some energy is used to move parts of the machine
Types of simple machines
 Levers
 Pulleys
 Inclined planes
 Gears
 Wheel and axle
 Hydraulic machines
 Screws
A. Levers
 A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed
hinge, or fulcrum. It is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself.
 The simplest form of a lever is a crow bar, but the term lever may be applied to
any rigid body which is pivoted about an axis called the fulcrum.
 Levers are based on the principle of moments.
 Levers are used to lift heavy weights with least amount of effort.

V.R = Distance From PivotTo Effort

Distance From PivotToLoad
Some examples of levers
 Wheel barrow
 Claw hammer
 Table knife
 Scissors
 Bore hole
 Cooking stick
 Hoe
  Slasher

B. Pulleys
 A pulley is a wheel with a grooved rim mounted on a block
 The effort is applied to a rope which passes over the pulley to change the
direction of forces and for producing larger force from a small force.
Types of pulleys
 Single fixed pulleys
 Single moving pulleys
 Block and tackle
(I) Single fixed pulley
 A single fixed pulley is often used to raise small loads to higher positions.
 The pulley has a fixed support, only the rope moves.
 The tension in the rope is the same throughout.
 This type of pulley changes the direction of the force but does not change
its size.

Load = Effort
M.A = 1
Load distance = effort distance
V.R = 1
(II) Single moving pulley
 The single moving pulley is made up of a pulley that is not fixed to any
support.
 It moves freely.
 The tension in the string is not normally equal to the effort. Therefore, the
upward force on the pulley is twice the effort. This means that the effort is
half the load.

Load is twice effort

M.A = 2
V.R = 2
(III) Block and tackle
 The block and tackle consists of two sets of pulleys, each with one or more
pulleys.
 The load is carried by one set of the pulleys.
 A single rope passes round all the pulleys.
 If an effort is applied to the free end of the rope, this effort is shared
between the sections of the rope supporting the lower set of pulleys, which
incidentally is equal to the total number of pulleys in the two sets.

 The effort distance is directly related to the load distance by the mechanical
𝐸
advantage of the system. 𝐸 = 𝑀. 𝐴 × 𝐿 𝑜𝑟 𝐿 = 𝑀. 𝐴
• The effort distance must be a multiple of the load distance.
• The mechanical advantage is found by counting the number of rope
sections supporting the load. This is called ideal mechanical advantage.
Thus V.R = M.A
 The velocity ratio of the pulley system is equal to the number of ropes supporting
the lower block.
To find the velocity ratio of the pulley system:
• Count the number of lines connected to moving
pulley or
• Count the number of pulley wheels. V.R = 6
Note
If greater loads need to be lifted, more pulleys are used thus increasing M.A. However, increasing the
loads increases friction and since more pulleys have to be lifted, efficiency is reduced.
C. Inclined plane
 An inclined plane is a simple machine that is used to raise a heavy load from the
ground to a higher platform by way of putting the load than lifting it.
 An inclined plane is used to raise heavy loads along a sloping surface.

V.R

V.R =
 The load is pulled up on an inclined plane in order to raise it through a longer
distance to the length of the inclined plane (L).
 It must be understood that because the weight of the load acts vertically
downwards, the distance the load overcome is (h) and not (L).
 The magnitude of the effort needed to pull or push the load over an
inclined plane depends on;
• the length of the plane
• the angle (⍬) of inclined plane i.e. of the plane
• the friction force between the plane and the load
 The effort needed is smaller when the angle of the inclination ⍬ is very small i.e.
the length of the plane is big and when the friction force between the plane and the
load is negligible.
• Therefore the (MA) of the inclined plane is increased by decreasing the
angle of inclination through the use of a longer plane and decreasing the
friction between the load (body) and plane.
D. Gears
A gear is a wheel which can rotate around its center and has equally spaced teeth around
it. Gears transmit motion from one wheel to another. The driving wheel provides the
effort while the driven wheel is the wheel on which the load acts.

V.R =
 V.R =
Note

 Number of rotations in driving wheel =

E. Wheel and axle
 The wheel is fixed to the axle.
 The axle has a smaller diameter and the rope attached to it is wound in the opposite
direction to that of the wheel.
 The load to be lifted is attached to the end of the axle.

 The effort therefore moves a distance equal to the circumference of the wheel
while the load moves a distance equal to the circumference of the axle.

V.R =

V.R =
𝑅
V.R = 𝑟
F. Screws
 The pitch (P) of a screw is the distance between two successful threads (the turns
of the groove).
 For one complete revolution, a screw moves through a distance equal to its pitch.

V.R =

V.R =
Where R is the radius of rotation of the effort.
G. Hydraulic machines
 This machine is used to obtain large force from a small force with the help of
a fluid.
 The hydraulic press applies Pascal’s principle which states that in a confined
fluid, an externally applied pressure is transmitted equally in all directions.
V.R = EffortDistance
Load Distance