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EXPERIMEXPERIMENT: SIMPLE MACHINES When we think of a machine, car engines, cranes, lifts, power drills, and vacuum cleaners usually come to mind. These devices are complex machines. Simple machines are the wedge, inclined plane, screw (an inclined plane wrapped on an axle), pulley, and lever. The jack used to lift a car is an example of a simple machine; it is simply a lever. In this investigation you will use a lever as a simple machine, and calculate its mechanical advantage and efficiency. Here are your goals for this lesson: Make quantitative observations and measurements with precision Analyze, evaluate and predict patterns from data Communicate findings These supplies are needed: meter stick string weights Play Mute Remaining TimeÂ-1:08 Picture-in-Picture Follow these directions and complete the activities. 1. Suspend the meter stick by a string from its center. 2. Notice carefully where it balances. It probably will not balance exactly at 50 cm. All distances must be measured to this point (called the fulcrum). 3. Hang a 200 g mass on one side and a 50 g mass on the other and adjust the distances from the fulcrum until the meter stick balances.(Be sure to account for the mass of the hanger from which you are suspending the masses. This can either be part of the total mass or, alternatively, if you are using something like coffee cups to hold the masses, their masses need to be matched perfectly before starting the experiment. You can do this by first checking to see how close they com

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Final answer:

Simple machines are devices that can be used to multiply or augment a force that we apply - often at the expense of a distance. The mechanical advantage of a simple machine is the ratio of the output force to the input force. Examples of simple machines include levers, gears, pulleys, wedges, and screws.

Step-by-step explanation:

Simple machines are devices that can be used to multiply or augment a force that we apply - often at the expense of a distance through which we apply the force. Examples of simple machines include levers, gears, pulleys, wedges, and screws. The mechanical advantage of a simple machine is the ratio of the output force to the input force. It allows us to do work with less force by increasing the distance over which the force is applied. For example, a lever can be used to lift a heavy object by applying a smaller force over a longer distance on one side of the lever.

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