Vex Lever Project

First Class Lever Second Class Lever Third Class Lever

Driving Questions:

• Why is it important for Engineers to explore the function and characteristics of the lever,wheel and axle, and Pulley system?
• How do simple machines manipulate energy to create a desired output?
• How do engineers calculate mechanical advantage of simple machines?

What I learned during this activity I learned the importance of mechanical advantage. Mechanical advantage is important in any machine because it shows the force amplification by the machine. I learned that some machines have a lesser mechanical advantage than others. I also learned how to calculate different forms of mechanical advantage such as IMA, AMA, and Efficiency. These things are crucial to successfully discover mechanical advantage.