mechanical advantage
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mechanical advantage:
see machinemachine,arrangement of moving and stationary mechanical parts used to perform some useful work or to provide transportation. From a historical perspective, many of the first machines were the result of human efforts to improve war-making capabilities; the term engineer
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mechanical advantage
[mi′kan·ə·kəl əd′van·tij] (mechanical engineering)
The ratio of the force produced by a machine such as a lever or pulley to the force applied to it. Also known as force ratio.
Mechanical advantage
Ratio of the force exerted by a machine (the output) to the force exerted on the machine, usually by an operator (the input). The term is useful in discussing a simple machine, where it becomes a figure of merit. It is not particularly useful, however, when applied to more complicated machines, where other considerations become more important than a simple ratio of forces. See Efficiency, Simple machine