What is the mechanical advantage of a Two Fold Purchase?

Prepare for the Boatswain’s Mate Chief (BMC) SWE Exam with in-depth study materials and multiple-choice questions. Enhance your understanding with well-explained hints and explanations. Ready yourself to excel!

Multiple Choice

What is the mechanical advantage of a Two Fold Purchase?

Explanation:
The main idea here is that mechanical advantage is determined by how many parts of the rope are supporting the load. In a two fold purchase, the rope arrangement creates five distinct segments that share the weight of the load. Because there are five rope sections bearing the load, you must pull five units of rope to lift the load by one unit (ignoring friction). That gives a 5:1 mechanical advantage. Viewed another way, each movable pulley in a purchase increases the number of supporting rope parts, and the specific path of a two fold purchase results in five supporting strands, which is why the ideal MA is five. The other options imply configurations with fewer supporting rope segments, which don’t match how a two fold purchase distributes the load.

The main idea here is that mechanical advantage is determined by how many parts of the rope are supporting the load. In a two fold purchase, the rope arrangement creates five distinct segments that share the weight of the load. Because there are five rope sections bearing the load, you must pull five units of rope to lift the load by one unit (ignoring friction). That gives a 5:1 mechanical advantage.

Viewed another way, each movable pulley in a purchase increases the number of supporting rope parts, and the specific path of a two fold purchase results in five supporting strands, which is why the ideal MA is five. The other options imply configurations with fewer supporting rope segments, which don’t match how a two fold purchase distributes the load.

More Multiple Choice Questions
Subscribe

Get the latest from Passetra

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy