GSU Science · Simple Machines Sandbox

Six Machines. One Law.

Every machine ever built is one of six simple machines — or a combination of them. Change the numbers. Watch force multiply. Feel why a lever lets one person lift a boulder and a pulley lets a child raise a piano.

The Law Behind All Machines

Work = Force × Distance. Machines don't reduce the work required — they redistribute it. You can apply less force over a greater distance, and accomplish the same work. That ratio is called Mechanical Advantage (MA).

MA = Output Force ÷ Input Force. A MA of 5 means you apply 5× less force than the load — but you must push/pull 5× further. Nothing is free. The machine just makes the job possible.

Input Force

100

Newtons (you apply)

Mechanical Advantage

3.0

× force multiplier

Output Force

300

Newtons (on load)

Load Mass

30.6

kg you can lift

Science Note

Select a machine above to begin. Adjust the sliders to change the mechanical advantage and see how your input force multiplies into output force.

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GENO has memorized the full GSU Science curriculum — all six simple machines, Newton's laws, and how machines combine in compound tools. Ask him how a bicycle uses a wheel-and-axle, or why a wedge splits wood.