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Project Summary

Difficulty	6
Time required	Short (several days)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Low ($20 - $50)
Safety	Adult supervision recommended

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Sponsor

Sponsored by a generous grant from Seagate

Objective

The goal of this project is to measure the force and the work required to lift the same load with different arrangements of pulleys.

Introduction

Pulleys are machines that make the job of lifting objects easier. A simple pulley (see Figure 1) consists of a single wheel, mounted on an axle and held in a small frame.

Figure 1. Illustration of a simple pulley. The simple pulley changes the direction of the applied force.

The edge of the wheel has a channel, through which a rope can pass. The pulley can be used to lift an object, as shown above in Figure 1. Here one end of the rope is fixed in place (top right) and the object to be lifted is attached to the pulley. Pulling on the other end of the rope lifts the object.In another arrangement (not shown), the pulley is fixed in place (e.g., to an overhead beam) and the rope passes over the pulley. One end of the rope is attached to the object. By pulling down on the other end of the rope, the object is lifted.

Two (or more) pulleys can be arranged to work together as shown in Figure 2. This is an example of a compound pulley arrangment.

Figure 2. Illustration of a compound pulley.

One end of the rope is fixed to the upper pulley, as shown above. The rope passes around the lower pulley, and then around the upper pulley. The object to be lifted is attached to the lower pulley. By pulling down on the rope, the object is lifted.

A block and tackle is an arrangement that uses multiple pulleys mounted on the same axle. The pulleys are the "blocks" and the rope is the "tackle." An example is shown below in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Illustration of a block and tackle.

In Figure 3, both the upper and the lower block have two pulleys on the same axle. The object to be lifted is attached to the lower block. One end of the rope is fixed to the upper block, and then passes around the first pulley in the lower block. Next, the rope passes over the first pulley in the upper block, then down to the second pulley in the lower block. Finally, the rope passes over the second pulley in the upper block. As with the compound pulley shown in Figure 2, pulling down on the rope raises the object.

What is the point of connecting multiple pulleys into a compound pulley or block and tackle arrangement? How about building them for yourself to find out?

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

To do this project, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:

• simple pulley,
• compound pulley,
• block and tackle,
• force,
• work,
• mechanical advantage,
• energy conservation.

Questions

• How does physics define the term, work?
• What are the SI units for force?
• What are the SI units for work?

Bibliography

• Editor, 2005. "Index to Units and Systems of Units," Sizes.com [accessed April 19, 2006] http://www.sizes.com/units/index.htm.
• Wikipedia contributors, 2006. "Pulley," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [accessed April 19, 2006] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pulley&oldid=49258736.
• EDinformatics, date unknown. "Simple Machines: The Pulley," EDinformatics.com [accessed April 19, 2006] http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/simple_machines/pulley.htm.
• Henderson, T., 2004. "Work, Energy and Power," The Physics Classroom [accessed April 19, 2006] http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/energy/u5l1a.html.

Materials and Equipment

To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment (you should be able to find these things at your local hardware store):

• tape measure,
• spring scale (Note: if you can't find this at your hardware store, try a sporting goods store—they're often used for weighing fish—or the Internet),
• 3 pulleys and 2 blocks,
• rope (must fit pulley channels and must be strong enough to lift the desired weight),
• an object to lift (e.g., 5-gallon bucket with sand or water).

Experimental Procedure

Safety note: This project involves lifting objects using ropes and pulleys. Minor injuries are possible but can easily be avoided with proper caution. Adult supervision recommended.

1. Do your background research and make sure that you understand the terms and concepts above.
2. Study the diagrams in the Introduction so that you know how to assemble the various pulley arrangements yourself.
3. Find a place to firmly and safely attach your pulleys (e.g., an overhead beam in the garage, or basement). Make sure you have permission. Get help from an adult if needed. Remember that the attachment point must be able to bear the weight that is to be lifted by the pulley arrangement.
4. Fill your bucket with water or sand and weigh it by hanging it from the spring scale. You want to have enough sand or water so that the spring scale reads near its maximum weight (or force).
5. Lift the bucket using the simple pulley. Attach one end of the rope to the bucket. Attach the other end of the rope to the spring scale. Pull on the scale until you lift the bucket off the ground. Record the scale reading in your lab notebook.
6. How much rope do you have to pull through the simple pulley in order to lift the bucket 2 meters? Record the length in your lab notebook.
7. Lift the bucket using the compound pulley arrangement. Attach the bucket to the lower pulley. Attach the spring scale to the free end of the rope. Pull on the scale until you lift the bucket off the ground. Record the scale reading in your lab notebook.
8. How much rope do you have to pull through the compound pulley in order to lift the bucket 2 meters? Record the length in your lab notebook.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 with the block and tackle.
10. Make a table of your results. Calculate the mechanical advantage of each pulley arrangement and include it in your table.
11. If your scale is calibrated in units of weight, you can easily convert to units of force (N, Newtons) by multiplying the weight (in kg) by 9.8 m/s².

Questions

1. What pulley arrangement makes it easiest to lift the bucket?
2. How much work is required to lift the bucket an equal distance with each pulley arrangement?
3. How does the mechanical advantage of a pulley system relate to the length of rope required to lift the object a fixed distance?

Variations

• Can you predict how much force would be required to lift your bucket if the blocks in your block and tackle each had three pulleys? Try it and see if your prediction is correct.

• For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Mechanical Engineering Project Ideas.

Credits

Andrew Olson, Ph.D., Science Buddies

Last edit date: 2006-06-02 13:30:00

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might want to think about career opportunities in Mechanical Engineering.

Mechanical engineers are part of your everyday life, designing the spoon you used to eat your breakfast, your breakfast's packaging, the flip-top cap on your toothpaste tube, the zipper on your jacket, the car, bike, or bus you took to school, the chair you sat in, the door handle you grasped and the hinges it opened on, and the ballpoint pen you used to take your test. Virtually every object that you see around you has passed through the hands of a mechanical engineer. Consequently, their skills are in demand to design millions of different products in almost every type of industry. Learn more about this career: Mechanical Engineer.