GSU Science · Pattern D · Animated Scene

Simple Machines Lab

Drag the slider to apply force and watch the machine move. See the trade-off: every simple machine trades force for distance — but work stays constant. Change the mechanical advantage and feel why levers moved the ancient world.

The one law all six simple machines obey

Work = Force × Distance. You cannot get more work out than you put in — but you can get more force by trading distance, or more speed by trading force. A lever that lifts 500 lbs with 50 lbs of effort moves the load half as far as you move the effort end. The math always balances.

Mechanical Advantage = Load Force ÷ Effort Force — or equivalently, Effort Distance ÷ Load Distance. An MA of 5 means you push with one-fifth the force over five times the distance. The machine multiplies force; it never multiplies work.

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Mech. Advantage

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Effort Force (N)

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Load Force (N)

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Work (J) — constant

🥉 Bronze — 3 machines explored

🥈 Silver — MA of 5 achieved

🥇 Gold — All 4 machines

✦ Platinum — Work constant observed

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