Question

A 120-m long ski lift carries skiers from a station at the foot of a slope to a second station 40 m above the base. What is the IMA of the lift?

Answer 1

IMA = 3

Step-by-step explanation:

Given the following data;

Distance covered by the effort or output distance = 120 m

Distance covered by the load or input distance = 40 m

To find the ideal mechanical advantage (IMA);

Mathematically, IMA is given by the formula;

`IMA = \frac {distance \; over \; which \; the \; effort \; is \; applied}{distance \; the \; load \; travels}`

Substituting into the equation, we have;

`IMA = \frac {120}{40}`

IMA = 3

Therefore, the ideal mechanical advantage (IMA) of this ski lift is 3.

NB: The ideal mechanical advantage has no units.