A wheel and axle uses two different diameter wheels mounted to a connecting axle. Force is applied to the larger wheel and large movements of this wheel result in small movements in the smaller wheel. Because a larger movement distance is being translated to a smaller distance, force is increased with a mechanical advantage equal to the ratio of the diameters of the wheels. An example of a wheel and axle is the steering wheel of a car.
The mechanical advantage of a wheel and axle is equal to the:
length of the axle |
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difference in the diameters of the wheels |
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difference in the lengths of the axles |
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ratio of the diameters of the wheels |