Where is the extra energy coming from?
If I can lift a maximum of 60kg with my bare hands, but then I can lift 300kg using pulleys/levers, where did that extra energy come from? Will I still burn calories like I am lifting 60kg or 300kg?
In: Physics
> Where is the extra energy coming from?
There is no extra energy. It’s called mechanical advantage.
If you exert a lot of force over a short distance, it’s the same energy as exerting a little force over a long distance.
Levers are long on one end and short on the other, so by pulling the long end a long distance, you can exert more force on the short end over a short distance.
Pulleys loop the rope over so that you pull twice the distance for how far you lift. Thus you can lift twice as much.
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