Question

How do you calculate the actual mechanical advantage of a lever?

Answer 1

Mechanical advantage is the ratio of distance of input arm from fulcrum to distance of output arm from fulcrum.

Explanation:

Mechanical advantage is the ratio of distance of input arm from fulcrum to distance of output arm from fulcrum.

This ratio is the same as the ratio of output force to input force.

Or in other words, product of output force and distance of output arm from fulcrum is same as the product of input force and distance of input arm from fulcrum.

For this reference is drawn to levers of different kind. In description of such levers many times words such as effort and load are mentioned in addition to fulcrum. In calculation of mechanical advantage, load is output force and effort is input force.