One inclined plane has a length of 6 m and a height of 1.5 m, the other, with a length of 12 m, a height of 1.5 m.

One inclined plane has a length of 6 m and a height of 1.5 m, the other, with a length of 12 m, a height of 1.5 m. Which of these inclined planes will provide a large gain in strength when lifting a body along it?

Given:

a1 – the length of the first inclined plane, 6 m;

a2 – the length of the second inclined plane, 12 m;

h is the height of the inclined planes, 1.5 m.

Find: the smallest lifting force of the body, F

Decision:

From the formula F / Pa = h / a we define the force F = Pa x h / a.

Where:

Ra is the weight of the body being lifted;

h is the height of the inclined plane;

a is the length of the inclined plane.

Since the weight of the lifted body Ra and the height of the inclined planes are constant values, // the force F that needs to be applied to lift the body will be less for a plane 12 meters long. Since the length of the plane a is in the denominator, respectively, the larger the value, the lower the value of the force F.

Answer: a greater gain in strength when lifting the body will be provided by an inclined plane with a length of 12 m.