Final answer:
The mechanical advantage of a simple block and tackle system with one rope is 1, and if a pulley system lifts a 200N load with 52N of effort, one rope suffices as the actual mechanical advantage is approximately 3.80.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mechanical advantage (MA) of a simple block and tackle system with one rope can be determined by counting the number of ropes supporting the load. For a block and tackle system with a single rope, the mechanical advantage is 1, because only one section of the rope is supporting the load. Therefore, if a pulley system can lift a 200N load with an effort force of 52 N and has an efficiency of almost 100 percent, 4 ropes are not required to support the load. Instead, since the actual mechanical advantage is given by dividing the load (200N) by the effort force (52N), we get a mechanical advantage of approximately 3.85, or 3.80 when rounded down. Hence, one rope is required because the actual mechanical advantage is 3.80. In other words, 1 rope is being used to multiple the force through the pulley system to lift the load.