- #1
Elquery
- 67
- 10
Hi all. So as we know the wheel can be a form of mechanical advantage. If I were to spin a wheel from its circumference and a rope was attached to its [smaller] axle, I would be applying less force per distance than is outputted on the axle. (I may have worded that funny but its not important for my question)
So here's my question: Does mechanical advantage and the size of the wheel vs its axle apply to when you simply push or pull a vehicle/cart with wheels. In this scenario I'm not applying any force to any part of the wheel or axle; simply pushing the back of a wagon for example. The wheels obviously reduce friction, but does the SIZE of the wheel (and its ratio to its axle) at all affect this reduction in friction in terms of mechanical advantage?
In other words: in a lab environment where a perfectly smooth floor was used, would there be any advantage in pushing a wagon with 20foot diameter wheels (and 2 inch axle) as opposed to say a wagon with 2 foot wheels (and 2 inch axle) (disregarding weight differences).
So here's my question: Does mechanical advantage and the size of the wheel vs its axle apply to when you simply push or pull a vehicle/cart with wheels. In this scenario I'm not applying any force to any part of the wheel or axle; simply pushing the back of a wagon for example. The wheels obviously reduce friction, but does the SIZE of the wheel (and its ratio to its axle) at all affect this reduction in friction in terms of mechanical advantage?
In other words: in a lab environment where a perfectly smooth floor was used, would there be any advantage in pushing a wagon with 20foot diameter wheels (and 2 inch axle) as opposed to say a wagon with 2 foot wheels (and 2 inch axle) (disregarding weight differences).