Final answer:
When a large gear drives a smaller gear, the following things can occur: an increase in rotational speed, a decrease in torque, a change in rotational direction, and a change in gear ratio.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a gear system, when a large gear drives a smaller gear, several things can happen:
- An increase in rotational speed: When a large gear drives a smaller gear, the smaller gear will rotate faster than the larger gear. This is because the smaller gear has fewer teeth, so for every revolution of the larger gear, the smaller gear has to turn more times.
- A decrease in torque: The torque, or twisting force, exerted by the large gear is transferred to the smaller gear. However, because the smaller gear has a smaller radius, the torque decreases. This is similar to how a longer lever can generate more force than a shorter lever.
- A change in rotational direction: If the large gear is rotating clockwise and drives a smaller gear, the smaller gear will rotate in the counterclockwise direction.
- A change in gear ratio: The gear ratio is the ratio of the rotational speed of the larger gear to the smaller gear. In this case, the gear ratio will change because the rotational speeds are not the same.