Mechanical Advantage Calculator
Calculate the mechanical advantage of a lever, inclined plane or pulley system and the effort force it saves.
How it works
Lever: MA = effort arm / load arm · Incline: MA = length / height · Pulley: MA = number of supporting ropes
Mechanical advantage is how much a simple machine multiplies your force. A machine with an advantage of 4 lets a 25 N effort lift a 100 N load — but you must move your end four times as far, because the machine trades distance for force and conserves energy. These are ideal figures; real machines lose some advantage to friction.
Worked example
A lever with a 2 m effort arm and a 0.5 m load arm gives MA = 2 ÷ 0.5 = 4. So a 100 N load can be lifted with just 25 N of effort, applied over four times the distance.
Sources: Mechanical advantage — Wikipedia
Frequently asked questions
Does mechanical advantage give something for nothing?
No. It multiplies force but you pay in distance: to lift a load with a quarter of the force, you move your end four times as far. The work done — force times distance — is unchanged.
What is the mechanical advantage of a ramp?
It is the ramp length divided by its height. A long, gentle ramp has a high mechanical advantage, so pushing a load up it takes less force than lifting it straight up — over a longer path.
How does a pulley system multiply force?
The ideal mechanical advantage equals the number of rope segments actually supporting the load. Four supporting ropes quarter the effort needed, at the cost of pulling four times the length of rope.
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Educational estimate. Check the formula and units for your exact case.