For today’s activity you will be looking at a variety of pulleys on the internet.  For each pulley system you see, you will answer the same questions.

Questions:

1. What is the pulley system?

2. What is the pulley system used for?

3. How many pulleys are being used?

4. What types of pulleys are being used?

5. Is there mechanical advantage?  If so, how much?

6. What is the input to make the system work?

You will be answering the questions on your worksheet.  A copy of that worksheet can be downloaded here.

Below you will find the pictures to answer your questions  Each picture has been thumbnailed, meaning that you will see a smaller version of it below, if you wish to see the full image, simple click on the picture and it will open to full size.  Once you are done looking at the picture, simply press "back" on your browser.  Note:  Some of the pictures are fairly small, and will not get much bigger (flag poles).

Pulley System #1

For this pulley system you will find two example pictures.  Both pictures show the same setup.  You can see that one uses a rope and one uses a chain.  Both will work for a pulley system, as long as the groove in the pulley is wide enough so that the chain does not get stuck.

Pulley System #2

For this pulley system you will find two example pictures.  Both pictures show the same setup.  For this device I could not find a picture that showed the entire system, so keep in mind that there are two ends to it.  You can see in the first picture that a wire is used instead of a rope.

Pulley System #3

For this pulley system you will find three example pictures.  These pictures are not the same setup.  Please answer your questions based on the first picture.  You can see in the second and third picture that more pulleys have been added.  These pulleys make the system look complicated, but most of them are simply used to change the direction of the force.

Pulley System #4

For this pulley system, only the first picture shows the entire system, but due to its size, it is not clear.  The next two pictures show examples of the top and the bottom of what the system would look like.  They will help to clarify the image for you.  If you think about it, the bottom pulley in this system is not always necessary.  How many pulleys does Tuck's flagpole have?

Pulley System #5

For this pulley system you will find three example pictures.  Each of those pictures is a different setup.  Please answer your questions based on the first picture.  Two of these systems have the same mechanical advantage, can you figure out which two?  Think about what the mechanical advantage of the other system would be.