Physics
Mobile Pulley
The purpose of this experiment is to understand the functioning of a mobile pulley as a simple machine.
20 min
Forces and simple machines
pulley; mechanical advantage
What students learn
- Mobile pulley
The science behind this experiment
A mobile pulley moves together with the load. Since the power required is equal to half of the resistance, the mobile pulley provides a mechanical advantage.
Equipment used
- Pulley with hook — MEC-024
- Cylindrical masses with hook (50, 25, 10 g) — MEC-018, MEC-019, MEC-020
- Multifunction support rod, rounded ends, with holes, length 350 mm — MEC-052
- Tubular spring balance (plastic), 2,5 N — MEC-015
- Brass hook M3, 3 * 50mm(diameter * length) — MEC-043
- Metallic bosshead 20x 20 x 40 mm withknobs — MEC-047
- PVC bosshead 20 x 20x 60 mm with blueknobs — MEC-048
- Polyester inelastic string, diam. 0.8 mm,length 10 m — MEC-030
- Rod with hook, diam. 10 mm, length 127mm — MEC-034
Questions for students
- What does mechanical advantage mean?
What to expect
Certain mechanical tools offer a mechanical advantage because their use makes our effort, for example to move something heavy, easier.
Run this experiment in your classroom
This experiment is part of ATP Volta — a self-contained mobile science lab that turns an ordinary classroom into a working STEM laboratory, with over 200 experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, robotics and engineering. Gali, the AI tutor built into ATP Connect, guides students through each step and answers their questions at the bench.
See the ATP Volta mobile science labTalk to our team