Work and Energy Topic

Demonstrates mechanical advantage in a differential pulley (Weston hoist). Two locked sheaves of slightly different radii produce a large force multiplication, illustrating how simple machines trade distance for force.

Sit in a chair and lift yourself using a threefold-purchase tackle (MA = 6). The pulling force is one-sixth your weight, but you must pull seven times as much rope …

Demonstrates how mechanical constraints produce counterintuitive motion. As the yo-yo unwinds and falls, its decreasing effective radius releases string, causing the balanced counterweight to descend rather than rise -- challenging …

A bowling ball pendulum released from a volunteer's chin swings away and returns to exactly its release height, dramatically demonstrating conservation of mechanical energy. The volunteer's safety depends entirely on …

Demonstrates conservation of mechanical energy using a loop track. A ball released from a given height cannot exceed that height on the opposite side. By varying release height, students see …

A ball released from a given height on one side of a V-shaped track rises to approximately the same height on the other side, regardless of the slope angle. Demonstrates …