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Mechanics Calculators

Mechanical Advantage Calculator

Mechanical advantage of levers, pulleys, ramps and gears — ideal and actual, with efficiency.

Enter values

Results update as you type.

Result

Mechanical advantage

4 ×

Effort to lift 1000 N
250 N
Distance trade-off
Effort moves 4× further than the load

About the Mechanical Advantage Calculator

Mechanical advantage of levers, pulleys, ramps and gears — ideal and actual, with efficiency.

Also known as: ma calculator, lever advantage, pulley advantage, simple machines.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter machine and the other fields.
  2. The result updates instantly as you type — press Calculate (or Enter) at any time.
  3. Review the breakdown shown under the main result.
  4. Use Copy result or Share to save the answer or send a link with your inputs.

Formula

MA = load ÷ effort = effort arm ÷ load arm

Worked example

Using the values pre-filled in the calculator above:

  • Machine: Lever
  • Effort arm = 1.2 m
  • Load arm = 0.3 m

the calculator returns:

  • Mechanical advantage: 4 ×
  • Effort to lift 1000 N: 250 N
  • Distance trade-off: Effort moves 4× further than the load