A construction worker uses a board and log as a lever to lift a heavy rock. If the input arm is 5 meters long and the output arm is 2 meters long, what is the mechanical advantage of the lever?
The mechanical advantage of a lever is calculated by dividing the length of the input arm by the length of the output arm.
In this case, the mechanical advantage would be:
Mechanical advantage = Input arm length / Output arm length
Mechanical advantage = 5 meters / 2 meters
Mechanical advantage = 2.5
Therefore, the mechanical advantage of the lever is 2.5. This means that the lever allows the construction worker to lift the heavy rock using less force by applying it over a longer distance.