A cyclist applies a force of 250 N to the pedals of a bicycle. If the rear wheel applies a force of 200 N to the road surface. What is the mechanical advantage of the bicycle?
M.A. = (delivered force)/(applied force)
= 0.80
What you lose in applied force, ratio-wise, you gain in speed.
To find the mechanical advantage of the bicycle, we need to divide the output force by the input force. In this case, the input force is the force applied by the cyclist's legs (250 N) and the output force is the force applied by the rear wheel to the road surface (200 N).
Mechanical advantage = Output force / Input force
Substituting the values:
Mechanical advantage = 200 N / 250 N
Simplifying the fraction:
Mechanical advantage = 4/5
So, the mechanical advantage of the bicycle is 4/5 or 0.8.
To find the mechanical advantage of the bicycle, we need to understand what mechanical advantage is. Mechanical advantage is a measure of how much a machine multiplies a force or changes the direction of the force.
In this case, we can consider the bicycle as a simple machine. The cyclist applies a force of 250 N to the pedals, and we are given that the rear wheel applies a force of 200 N to the road surface.
The mechanical advantage of a machine is typically calculated by dividing the output force by the input force.
In this case, the output force is the force applied by the rear wheel (200 N), and the input force is the force applied by the cyclist (250 N).
Therefore, the mechanical advantage of the bicycle can be calculated as:
Mechanical Advantage = Output Force / Input Force
Mechanical Advantage = 200 N / 250 N
Mechanical Advantage = 0.8
Therefore, the mechanical advantage of the bicycle is 0.8.