Question

in the compound pulley pictured below, how many newtons of force are applied to the load if 200 newtons of effort force are applied to the pulley?

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the mechanical advantage

The mechanical advantage (MA) of a pulley system is equal to the number of rope segments supporting the load. In this compound pulley system, there are 2 rope segments supporting the load. So, \(MA = 2\).

Step2: Calculate the load force

The formula for mechanical advantage is \(MA=\frac{Load\ force}{Effort\ force}\). Rearranging for load force gives \(Load\ force = MA\times Effort\ force\). Given \(Effort\ force = 200\ N\) and \(MA = 2\), we have \(Load\ force=2\times200\).

Answer:

400 Newtons