Question

An inclined plane makes an angle of 20° with the horizontal. What is its mechanical advantage? If a man can put maximum effort of 40 kgf, what will be the minimum load that he can push on this plane? (sin 20° = 0.34)

Answer 1

Given:

Angle of inclination (θ) = 20°

sin 20° = 0.34

Maximum Effort (E) = 40 kgf

Calculate Mechanical Advantage (MA):

For an ideal inclined plane, the mechanical advantage is given by the formula:

MA = `1/sin θ`

= `1/(sin 20°)`

= `1/0.34`

= 2.94

= 3

Calculate the Minimum Load (L):

MA = `"Load (L)"/"Effort (E)"`

3 = `L/40`

L = 3 × 40

L = 120 kgf

The mechanical advantage is 3 and the minimum load he can push is 120 kgf.