Josh opens a soda can by pulling on the tab. The picture shows Josh opening the soda can. The
tab is a simple machine. What is the mechanical advantage of the tab?
dimensions:
15cm
5cm
MA = output/input
A. 3.0
B. 21.0
C. 9.0
D. .7
To find the mechanical advantage (MA), we can use the formula:
MA = output force / input force
Since we are dealing with dimensions in this question, we can use the following formulas:
output force = length of the tab
input force = effort distance (length) / resistance distance (length)
Given dimensions:
Length of the tab = 15 cm
Effort distance = 15 cm
Resistance distance = 5 cm
Plugging in the values:
output force = 15 cm
input force = 15 cm / 5 cm = 3
MA = 15 cm / 3 = 5
Therefore, the mechanical advantage of the tab is 5.