Final answer:
The best way to lift the block of wood with a lightweight rope is not determined by the pulley size but by increasing the number of ropes in the system, which increases the mechanical advantage and reduces the required effort.
Step-by-step explanation:
In this scenario, the size of the pulley itself does not directly impact the amount of effort needed to lift a block of wood — instead, the mechanical advantage (MA) of the pulley system is the key factor. This mechanical advantage is determined by the number of ropes supporting the load, as each supporting rope effectively shares the load, reducing the amount of effort required to lift it.
Referencing the info provided, if a pulley system can lift a 200N load with an effort force of 52N, this suggests that the mechanical advantage is roughly 200N / 52N = 3.85 (rounded to two decimal places), indicating that approximately four ropes are supporting the load (as the mechanical advantage is nearly an integer). Hence, the correct option given the context would likely be '4 ropes are required because the actual mechanical advantage is 3.80'.
Between the three friends' suggestions, it's most pertinent to consider Aliya's point, which is that the size of the pulley doesn't impact the mechanical advantage — it's the number of supporting ropes that matters. Therefore, the best way to use a pulley with a lightweight rope to lift a block of wood would be to increase the number of pulleys or ropes in the system, thus increasing the MA and reducing the effort needed.