How do gears provide a mechanical advantage?

In summary, gears and levers operate on the principle of mechanical advantage, where they allow you to trade distance for force. This is possible due to the law of conservation of energy. For example, turning a gear with a smaller radius will output less force but more velocity, while turning a gear with a larger radius will output more force but less velocity. This principle is also seen in levers, where the distance from the pivot point determines the force applied. This allows for the movement of heavy objects with minimal force, such as operating sea locks or lifting heavy gates.
  • #1
theBEAST
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For example in this video at 5:00:


They show by turning the gear with little force allows for one to move a VERY HEAVY gate to operate the sea locks.

I don't understand how this is possible. Could anyone please explain the physics/theory behind this?

Thanks!
 
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  • #2
Have you read this article? It explains what mechanical advantage is fairly well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_advantage

The short version is that the gears amplify the torque because they make each turn of the input gear equal a fraction of a turn on the output gear. So turning one gear 10 turns may only get you 1 turn on the other, which amplifies the torque.

The basic mechanism used for mechanical advantage is the Lever. From the linked article:

The lever is a movable bar that pivots on a fulcrum attached to or positioned on or across a fixed point. The lever operates by applying forces at different distances from the fulcrum, or pivot.

As the lever pivots on the fulcrum, points farther from this pivot move faster than points closer to the pivot. The power into and out of the lever must be the same, so forces applied to points farther from the pivot must be less than when applied to points closer in.

It boils down to the fact that when one end of the lever moves a shorter distance in the same time, the force must increase for the power to remain the same. Same with the gears.
 
  • #3
As Drakkith said, gears are basically levers that can operate continuously. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever

They allow you to trade distance for force, or the other way around. For example this simple gear outputs less force, but more velocity than goes in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvyii6QBLtw

Here the lever mechanism is indicated as a red line:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufk6HVWdSzE
 
  • #4
There is a law of "conservation of energy", not "conservation of force" and all "mechanical advantage" laws are based on that. If you have a cog of radius R m and turn it through on complete turn, [itex]2\pi[/itex] radians, by applying force F Newtons, then its surface has moved through a distance of [itex]2\pi R[/itex] m and so you have done [itex]2\pi RF[/itex] Joules work on it.

If a chain or other ratcheting mechanism causes another cog, of radius r, to turn through the same distance, by "conservation of energy" you have done [itex]2\pi r f= 2\pi RF[/itex] Joules of work on it also and so must have applied [itex]f= (2\pi RF)/(2\pi r)= (R/r)F[/itex] Newtons force. "R/r" is the "mechanical advantage".
 
  • #5
HallsofIvy said:
There is a law of "conservation of energy", not "conservation of force" and all "mechanical advantage" laws are based on that. If you have a cog of radius R m and turn it through on complete turn, [itex]2\pi[/itex] radians, by applying force F Newtons, then its surface has moved through a distance of [itex]2\pi R[/itex] m and so you have done [itex]2\pi RF[/itex] Joules work on it.

If a chain or other ratcheting mechanism causes another cog, of radius r, to turn through the same distance, by "conservation of energy" you have done [itex]2\pi r f= 2\pi RF[/itex] Joules of work on it also and so must have applied [itex]f= (2\pi RF)/(2\pi r)= (R/r)F[/itex] Newtons force. "R/r" is the "mechanical advantage".

If the other cog, of radius r, turned through the same distance that the cog with radius R turned, then they must have the same work. Since work is F*d, then they both must have the same force? I am kind of confused by how you equated:

[itex]2\pi r f= 2\pi RF[/itex]

instead of

[itex]2\pi R f= 2\pi RF[/itex]

since they travel the same distance [itex]2\pi R[/itex]
 

FAQ: How do gears provide a mechanical advantage?

1. How do gears provide a mechanical advantage?

Gears provide a mechanical advantage by transferring the input force and torque from one gear to another, resulting in a larger output force and torque. This is known as gear ratio, which is the ratio of the number of teeth on the driven gear to the number of teeth on the driving gear.

2. What is the relationship between gear size and mechanical advantage?

The size of the gears directly affects the mechanical advantage. Larger gears have a larger gear ratio and therefore provide a greater mechanical advantage compared to smaller gears.

3. Can gears provide both a speed and force advantage?

Yes, gears can provide both a speed and force advantage. The number of teeth on each gear determines the gear ratio, which can be used to calculate the output speed and force.

4. What type of motion can be produced by gears?

Gears can produce rotational motion as well as linear motion. This depends on the arrangement and positioning of the gears, such as parallel, perpendicular, or intersecting.

5. How do gears affect the efficiency of a machine?

Gears can increase or decrease the efficiency of a machine depending on the gear ratio. Using gears with a larger gear ratio can result in a higher efficiency as it can reduce the input force needed to achieve the desired output force.

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