Mechanical Advantage Calculator

Compute the ideal mechanical advantage of the basic simple machines — a lever, a pulley system, an inclined plane, a hydraulic press and a screw — and see how the input force is amplified to lift or move a load. Pick a machine, enter its geometry (arms, rope segments, ramp, piston radii or thread pitch), and the tool gives the mechanical advantage and the ideal effort needed for a given load. Useful for physics homework, shop rigging, and estimating before you build. Ideal values ignore friction, which is large for screws and real pulleys; the actual advantage is lower. Pure arithmetic, in your browser.