Pulley Chair: Lift Your Weight
Can you pick yourself up? Yes! Sitting in the Pulley Chair, you use ropes and pulleys to lift yourself into the air. Three different pulley systems let you test your strength. Pulleys are simple machines designed to provide a mechanical advantage.
This means less effort is required to complete the same amount of work, so it’s much easier. The length of rope needed to do the job is greater as more pulleys are used; that’s how mechanical advantage works for you.
How much easier is it? On average, each pulley you add decreases the amount of effort by half, but only if there’s no friction. If you add too many pulleys, the friction may actually become greater than the mechanical advantage gained, making your job harder.
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| COSI Simple Machines Activity |
