Part 1: Explanations & Examples Part 2: Formula List (displayed; each

symbol defined)
Purpose: one place for equations with symbol meanings.
Work
W =Fd
Purpose: master KBAT concepts (types, differences, use cases, IMA vs Where: W — work (J); F — force component along motion (N); d — dis-
AMA) with short, clear examples. placement along force (m).
Simple Machine — device that changes the direction or magnitude of a Power (energy rate)
force; trades force for distance/speed. No machine creates energy. W E
Load — object/resistance being moved. Effort — input you apply. Line of P = =
action — infinite line along a force vector. Normal force (N ) — surface’s t t
perpendicular support force. Coefficient of friction (µ) — friction/N Where: P — power (W); W — work (J); E — energy (J); t — time (s).
(unitless). Weight
W = mg
Mechanical Advantage (idea) — in an ideal (frictionless) machine, input
work equals output work, so any force gain costs extra distance/time; any Where: W — weight (N); m — mass (kg); g — gravitational field (m/s2 ).
speed gain costs extra force. See formulas in Part 2. Mechanical Advantage (general)

IMA vs AMA (plain) — IMA (Ideal Mechanical Advantage) uses geom- Fout
etry only (distances, radii, pitch, or strand count) and assumes no losses. MA =
Fin
AMA (Actual Mechanical Advantage) is measured with real forces and in-
cludes friction/flex. Efficiency η compares AMA to IMA.
Example (IMA vs AMA) — Geometry predicts IM A = 3.0. Measured Where: Fout — force on load (N); Fin — effort force (N). Read: M A > 1
Fin = 60 N gives Fout = 150 N ⇒ AM A = 2.5, η = 2.5/3.0 = 83%. force gain; M A < 1 speed/throw gain.
Ideal work tradeoff & IMA
Lever (what it is) — rigid bar pivoting on a fulcrum (fixed pivot point).
Lever arm r — shortest (perpendicular) distance from fulcrum to a force’s din
Fin din = Fout dout , IM A =
line of action (m). Torque τ — turning effect; only the dout
P perpendicular
P com-
ponent of force makes torque. In static equilibrium, F = 0 and τ = 0.
Lever classes (how they differ) Where: din — input travel (m); dout — output travel (m).
Class 1 — Fulcrum in middle; effort and load on opposite sides; direction AMA (measured) & Efficiency
reverses; can be force or speed machine. Examples: crowbar, scissors, see-
saw.
Fout AM A
Class 2 — Load in middle; always force advantage (M A > 1). Examples: AM A = , η= × 100%
wheelbarrow, nutcracker, bottle opener. Fin IM A
Class 3 — Effort in middle; speed/precision advantage (M A < 1). Exam-
ples: tweezers, broom, fishing rod, human forearm. Where: η — efficiency (%).
Example (lever) — A Class 2 lever has de = 0.30 m (fulcrum→effort Torque
line) and dl = 0.08 m (fulcrum→load line). Load Fout = 180 N. Ideal τ = rF sin θ = rF⊥
IM A = de /dl = 3.75. Ideal Fin = Fout /IM A = 48 N.
Where: τ — torque (N·m); r — perpendicular distance fulcrum→force line
Inclined Plane — push along a slope to raise a load with less force over (m); F — force magnitude (N); θ — angle between r and F ; F⊥ — perpen-
longer distance; weight W splits into W∥ (down-slope) and W⊥ (into the dicular component (N).
surface). With friction, you must also overcome rubbing. Static equilibrium X X
Example (incline) — Raise a 200 N crate up length L = 3.0 m, rise F = 0, τ =0
H = 0.60 m, dry wood µ = 0.30. Ideal IM A = L/H = 5.0. Since
sin θ = H/L = 0.2, cos θ ≈ 0.98, needed push ≈ W (sin θ + µ cos θ) ≈
Lever balance (mass ratio)
200(0.2 + 0.294) = 98.8 N.
mB dA
Wedge — moving inclined plane; a push along length becomes large side- mA dA = mB dB ⇒ =
ways forces that split/hold material. Longer/thinner wedges give more force mA dB
but need more travel; many are self-locking (won’t back-drive). Examples:
axe, chisel, doorstop. Where: mA , mB — masses (kg); dA , dB — perpendicular distances from
Example (wedge) — l = 0.12 m, t = 0.004 m. Ideal IM A = l/t = 30. A that stage’s fulcrum to each mass’s line of action (m).
120 N push ideally yields ∼ 3600 N separating force (ignoring losses). Lever (IMA)
de
IM A =
Pulley — wheel guides rope tension. A fixed pulley changes direction only; dl
movable pulleys share the load among multiple rope strands. Count sup-
porting strands (those holding the load) for IM A. Example: 4 supporting Where: de — fulcrum→effort line (m); dl — fulcrum→load line (m).
strands lift W = 400 N: ideal Fin = 400/4 = 100 N. Inclined plane

Wheel & Axle — rotational lever: input at radius Rwheel creates torque L
at radius Raxle . Example: Rwheel = 0.20 m, Raxle = 0.025 m ⇒ IM A = 8. IM A = , W∥ = W sin θ, W⊥ = W cos θ, Fpush ≈ W (sin θ+µ cos θ)
H
To lift 160 N ideally: Fin = 160/8 = 20 N.
Where: L — slope length (m); H — vertical rise (m); θ — slope angle; µ —
Screw — inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder; one full turn advances coefficient of friction.
by lead. Small lead & large handle radius give high force; many screws Wedge
are self-locking. Example: r = 0.05 m, pitch p = 0.002 m (single-start ⇒ l
lead = p) ⇒ IM A = 2πr/p ≈ 157. A 20 N tangential push ideally yields IM A =
∼ 3140 N clamp (ignoring losses). t
Where: l — wedge length (m); t — wedge thickness at blunt end (m).
Friction — static friction fs prevents motion up to a limit; kinetic friction Pulley (ideal)
fk acts while sliding. Angle of repose θr is the steepest slope that does not
slide. IM A = number of supporting strands
Example (friction) — A 50 N block on a horizontal surface with µs = 0.40.
Max static friction fs,max = µs N = 0.40 × 50 = 20 N: any push < 20 N will
not start motion. (Count only rope segments that hold the load.)
Wheel & Axle
Rwheel
Use-case chooser — Need largest force? Class 2 lever, multi-pulley IM A =
block, screw, big wheel/small axle, thin/long wedge. Need largest mo- Raxle
tion/speed/precision? Class 3 lever, gear-up. Need steady height change Where: Rwheel — input radius (m); Raxle — output radius (m).
with limited force? Inclined plane, screw jack, winch. Need direction
change? Fixed pulley, Class 1 lever. Screw
2πr
IM A =
lead

1
Where: r — handle/turning radius (m); lead — advance per turn (m); Compound (two stages) to chain ratios — Stage 1: B/A = dA /dB .
single-start: lead=pitch p; n-start: lead= n p. Stage 2: C/B = dB ′ /dC ′ where dB ′ , dC ′ are measured from the second
Friction & angle of repose stage’s fulcrum (m). Combined:
  
fs ≤ µs N, fk = µk N, tan θr = µs C C B dB ′ dA
= = ·
A B A dC ′ dB
Where: fs — static friction (N); fk — kinetic friction (N); N — normal
force (N); µs , µk — friction coefficients (unitless); θr — angle of repose. Prime (′ ) marks distances on the second stage. ∆d (m) can be used for
Gears (wheel & axle variant) near-balance bracketing (average readings).
Placement for precision — Use long arms (large d) within the 40.0 cm
Fout Ndriven rdriven ωout rdriver limit to reduce fractional error. Ensure ropes hang vertical; measure to the
= = , =
Fin Ndriver rdriver ωin rdriven line of action.
Worked example (single stage) — dA = 18.5 cm, dB = 12.4 cm ⇒
Where: N — teeth count; r — pitch radius (m); ω — angular speed (rad/s). B/A = 18.5/12.4 = 1.4919 → 1.49 (to 0.01).
Each mesh reverses rotation. Worked example (two stages) — Stage 1: dA = 15.0 cm, dB = 10.0 cm
⇒ B/A = 1.50. Stage 2: dB ′ = 8.0 cm, dC ′ = 12.0 cm ⇒ C/B = 0.6667.
Then C/A = 0.6667 × 1.50 = 1.000.
Part 3: Constants & Quick Reference Fast 4-min workflow — zero/level each stage (no masses); mark fulcrums;
do B/A first; move only one mass to set up C/B; compute and write decimals
immediately; if time remains, repeat B/A. Common pitfalls: measuring to
Purpose: numbers/units you’ll reach for during calcs.
hook tips (not the line of action); using short arms; allowing rope slant.
g = 9.81 m/s2 (use 9.8 for speed); π = 3.1416; 2π = 6.2832; circumference
C = 2πr.
Units — 1 N = 1 kg · m/s2 ; 1 J = 1 N · m; 1 W = 1 J/s. Conversions —
1 kg = 1000 g; 1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm.
Angles — 180◦ = π rad; 1◦ = π/180 rad ≈ 0.01745. Handy trig —
Part 5: Event Rules & Scoring (Con-
sin 30◦ = 0.5; cos 30◦ ≈ 0.866; sin 45◦ = cos 45◦ ≈ 0.707; sin 60◦ ≈ 0.866; densed)
cos 60◦ = 0.5.
Pulley tip — count only strands that directly support the load; friction
lowers AM A. Lever tip — measure to the line of action. Screw tip — Purpose: know build limits, test flow, and how points are earned to opti-
single-start: lead= p; multi-start: lead= n p. Wedge tip — thin/long mize speed vs accuracy.
wedges give big IM A but require longer travel. Device — Class 1 lever linked (rigid/flexible) to Class 2 or 3; each beam
≤40.0 cm (longest edge without masses). No springs/electronics. Must ac-
cept supervisor masses (A,B,C each 20–800 g; heaviest/lightest cap: Reg 8.0,
States 10.0, Nats 12.0). Sliding hooks allowed; no user-supplied movable
masses (only fixed for static balance).
Part 4: Mass-Ratio Playbook (Device
Flow — during the written test, you are called for setup (Reg 5 min;
Test) States/Nats 4 min). Specs check pauses the setup clock. Masses are handed
over only after passing specs. Device test time is t seconds (max 240);
Purpose: exact steps/equations to compute mass ratios during submit decimal ratios A/B (mass B ÷ mass A) and B/C (mass B ÷ mass
Part II. “B/A” means mass B divided by mass A. “C/B” means C) to announced precision; timing stops at the supervisor’s defined action.
mass C divided by mass B. “C/A” means mass C divided by mass A.
Scoring symbols — F S final score; ES written-exam component; R1 ratio
Golden rule (two masses on the same stage)
score for A/B; R2 ratio score for B/C; T S time score; t device time (s); AR
actual ratio; M R submitted measured ratio.
m2 d1 Formulas —
m1 d1 = m2 d2 ⇒ =
m1 d2
 your Part I   240 − t 
Where: m1 , m2 — masses hung on that stage (kg); d1 , d2 — perpendicu- F S = ES+R1+R2+T S, ES = ×45, TS = ×15,
highest Part I 240
lar distances from that stage’s fulcrum to each mass’s line of action (m).
“Stage” = one lever with its own fulcrum.  |AR − M R| 
Single-stage recipe (get B/A = mass B divided by mass A) — Hang R= 1− × 20 (for each ratio)
A at distance dA and B at distance AR
PdB on opposite sides of the same stage;
slide hooks until level (net torque τ = 0); read dA and dB ; then Rule violations scale T S, R1, R2 by 0.9. Ties: best ES, then T S, then R1,
then selected questions.
B dA Build/measurement tips — stiff beams; low-friction pivots; ruler zeros
=
A dB at fulcrums; thin pointer with center index; ropes vertical; measure perpen-
dicular distances; use long arms (near 40 cm). Minimal kit (non-electronic):
Where: A, B — masses (kg); dA , dB — perpendicular distances to that two Class III calculators, fine marker, flexible ruler/tape, bubble level, small
stage’s fulcrum (m). Round to the supervisor’s required precision. square, pre-marked hook positions every 5 mm.