Simple Machines

Everyone was in the kingdom of simple machines today. The nature and purpose of machines was discussed, as was the tradeoff between force and distance that is a known consequence of using a machine. The other known cost of using a machine is the loss of useful energy/work, which is assessed by the machine's efficiency. Make sure you can differentiate between ideal mechanical advantage (IMA) and actual mechanical advantage (AMA) and explain why IMA>AMA for real machines. Tomorrow, C Block will work on a lab centered on levers and pulleys and F Block will take on just the lever portion for a short-block activity. B Block will be reviewing for Tuesday's exam, performing the levers and pulleys investigation on Monday, and E Block will get some problem-solving practice for conservation of angular momentum and mechanical energy.