Mechanical advantage (MA) is the ratio by which effort force relates to resistance force. If both forces are known, calculating MA is simply a matter of dividing resistance force by effort force:

MA = \( \frac{F_r}{F_e} \) = \( \frac{2 ft.}{5.0 ft.} \) = 0.4

In this case, the mechanical advantage is less than one meaning that each unit of effort force results in just 0.4 units of resistance force. However, a third class lever like this isn't designed to multiply force like a first class lever. A third class lever is designed to multiply distance and speed at the resistance by sacrificing force at the resistance. Different lever styles have different purposes and multiply forces in different ways.

A concentrated load acts on a relatively small area of a structure, a static uniformly distributed load doesn't create specific stress points or vary with time, a dynamic load varies with time or affects a structure that experiences a high degree of movement, an impact load is sudden and for a relatively short duration and a non-uniformly distributed load creates different stresses at different locations on a structure.

A second-class lever is used to increase force on an object in the same direction as the force is applied. This lever requires a smaller force to lift a larger load but the force must be applied over a greater distance. The fulcrum is placed at one end of the lever and mechanical advantage increases as the object being lifted is moved closer to the fulcrum or the length of the lever is increased. An example of a second-class lever is a wheelbarrow.

The work-energy theorem states that the work done by the sum of all forces acting on a particle equals the change in the kinetic energy of the particle. Simply put, work imparts kinetic energy to the matter upon which the work is being done.