The Pulley

Pulleys are a better way to lift large masses onto tall heights and are examples of simple machines.

The types of pulleys that had been researched included:

- Fixed pulleys:

- Movable Pulleys

- Compound Pulleys

- Block and tackle

For the project we decided to use the the fixed pulley system. This is a fixed or class 1 pulley with a fixed axle. That is, the axle is "fixed" or anchored in place. A fixed pulley is used to change the direction of the force on a rope (called a belt). A fixed pulley has a mechanical advantage of 1. A mechanical advantage of one means that the force is equal on both sides of the pulley and there is no multiplication of force




NOTE that
The number of pulleys used in a system may increase or decrease the mechanical advantage of the system. Generally, the higher the mechanical advantage is, the easier it is to lift the object.
This means no matter how easy it is to use the pulley system, the system itself is not very efficient due to the force of friction. For example, one has to pull two meters of rope of cable through the pulleys in order to lift an object one meter.