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Experiment P-8
Pulley System

Objectives

 To learn about pulley systems: fixed, movable and compound

pulleys.
 To measure the effort force and the load force.
 To measure the distance the force sensor has to be pulled in
order to move the load 10 cm and calculate the velocity ratio.
 To calculate the mechanical advantage of each system.
 To find the relationship between the mechanical advantage and
the velocity ratio.

Modules and Sensors

 PC + NeuLog application
 USB-200 module
 NUL-211 Force sensor

Equipment and Accessories

 35 cm track 1
 Track leg 2
 20" rod 2
 Track rider 2
 Boss head 2
 100 g slotted mass 2
 Slotted mass hanger 1
 Rod with pulley 1
(perpendicular)
 Pulley with hook 1
 Thread (~1m) 1
 3 m measuring tape 1

 The items above are included in the NeuLog Mechanics kit,

MEC-KIT and also in the NeuLog Pulley kit, PUL-KIT.

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Introduction

A pulley is a grooved wheel firmly attached to an axle. A rope or a

cable fits into the groove and passes over the wheel. A fixed pulley
is fastened to one spot. The fixed pulley has no gains in force or
distance, but it changes the direction of the force. A movable pulley
moves along a rope. It decreases the force, but the rope must be
pulled for a longer distance. A compound pulley (also known as a
block and a tackle) is the combination of fixed and movable pulleys.
The fixed pulley changes the direction of the force and the movable
pulley decreases the applied force.

In this experiment, you will study these three types of pulley

systems. You will use a force sensor to measure the effect of each
type of pulley on the force that must be applied to perform work. You
will also find the velocity ratio of each system.

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Procedure

Experiment setup

1. Set up the experiment as shown in the picture below.

2. Attach the track legs to the track.

3. Slide the track rider to the middle of the track.

4. Insert the 20" rod in the track rider.

5. Attach the boss head to the top of the 20'' rod.

6. Attach the rod with the pulley to the boss head.

7. Place the 100 g slotted mass on the slotted mass hanger.

8. Make sure you have a ~1 m long thread.

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Sensor setup

9. Connect the USB module to the PC.

10. Connect the Force sensor to the USB-200 module.

Note:
The following application functions are explained in short. It is
recommended to practice the NeuLog application functions (as
described in the user manual) beforehand.

11. Run the NeuLog application and check that the force sensor
is identified.

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Settings

12. Click on the force sensor's module box.

13. Select the +/-10 N button to set the sensor's mode.

14. Click on the Extra command button and then on the

Push=Negative button to get positive values when hanging
the cart from the force sensor's hook.

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15. Click on the icon to go back to the graph.

16. Click on the Run Experiment icon and set the:

Experiment duration to 10 seconds

Sampling rate to 10 per second

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Testing and measurements

Note:
The orientation of the sensor is very important. Before each
measurement, hold the sensor in the same orientation you will use
for the specific experiment and zero it.

17. Sensor Zeroing: hold the sensor in the proper orientation

(the hook should be facing downwards for the first
measurements) and press the button in the sensor’s box for
about 3 seconds.

Alternatively, you can click on the Extra command button in

the Module Setup box menu and then on Reset.

18. When using a pulley, the rope is 'pulled' on the effort side; the
weight lifted on the other side is called the 'load'.
This is a fixed pulley:

Force Weight
sensor 'Load'
'Effort'

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Measure the Load force: Put a 100 g on the mass holder and
then hang these on the force sensor.

19. Click on the Record icon to start the measurement.

20. Your graph should be similar to the following:

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21. Click on the Export Icon and then on the Save value
table (.CSV) button to save your graph.

22. Click on the icon to go back to the graph.

23. Click on the Experiment module box on the left of the

screen.

24. Insert the average value you see in the menu on the following
table.

No pulley Measured Measured

force (with force [N]
mass (with mass
holder) [N] holder and
movable
pulley)
100 g 1.024 1.19
(sample
experiment)
100 g
200 g

25. Click on the icon to go back to the graph.

26. Add another 100 g slotted mass (you will now have 200 g).

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27. Click on the Run Experiment icon and the on the

Record icon .

28. Insert the new data to the table above.

29. Make a measurement with the 100 g mass together with the
movable pulley and with the 200 g mass together with the
movable pulley.

30. Insert the values in the previous table.

For some pulley setups we include the pulley with the load
force because it is directly attached to the load and moves
with the load.

31. Set up the experiment as shown in the following picture.

32. Remember to zero the sensor in this new orientation, with the
hook facing upwards before putting on any load.

33. This is a fixed pulley. Hang a 100 g slotted mass on it. The
length of the thread is not important.

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34. In order to measure the effort force, click on the Record

icon to start the measurement.

35. Your graph should be similar to the following:

36. Repeat the measurement with a 200 g slotted mass (without

erasing the first graph).

37. Click on the Export Icon and then on the Save value
table (.CSV) button to save your graph.

38. Click on the icon to go back to the graph.

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39. Write the average force values in the following data table.

Fixed pulley
Slotted Load Effort Mechanical Distance Velocity
mass force (N) force advantage moved by ratio
(without a (N) (Load/Effort) the effort
movable [cm]
pulley) (Distance
moved by
load is 10
cm)
100 g 1.024 1.019 ~1
(sample
experiment)
100 g
200 g

The ratio of the Load to the Effort (Load/Effort) is called the

Mechanical Advantage (MA) of a pulley system. A system with
MA>1 decreases the effort (Effort<Load) while a pulley system with
MA<1 increases the effort (Effort>Load).

40. Calculate the Mechanical Advantage (MA) for each mass and
write it in the previous table.

41. Lift the load 10 cm up. What distance did you have to move
the force sensor in order to lift the load? Insert the distance
value in the table above.

The velocity ratio is equal to the distance moved by the effort

divided by the distance moved by the load. Calculate the
velocity ratio and insert the data in the previous table.

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42. Assemble a second system as shown in the following picture.

43. This is a movable pulley. Put the sensor in place with the
right orientation (without the slotted mass) and zero it again.

44. Hang a 100 g slotted mass and click on the Record icon
to start the measurement.

45. Repeat the measurement with two 100 g slotted masses

without erasing the first measurement.

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46. Write the results in the following data table.

Movable pulley
Slotted Load Effort Mechanical Distance Velocity
mass force (N) force advantage moved by ratio
(with a (N) (Load/Effort) the effort
movable [cm]
pulley) (Distance
moved by
load is 10
cm)
100 g 1.19 0.641 ~2
(sample
experiment)
100 g
200 g

47. Calculate the MA and insert the value into the table above.

48. Lift the load 10 cm up. What distance did you have to move
the force sensor in order to lift the load? Insert the distance
value in the table above.

49. Calculate the velocity ratio and insert the data in the previous
table.

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50. Assemble a third system as shown in the following picture:

51. This is a compound pulley system. Put the sensor in place

with the right orientation and zero it again (without the slotted
mass).

52. Hang a 100 g slotted mass and click on the Record icon
to start the measurement.

53. Repeat the measurement with two 100 g slotted masses

without erasing the first measurement.

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54. Write the results in the following data table.

Compound pulley
Slotted Load Effort Mechanical Distance Velocity
mass force (N) force (N) advantage moved by ratio
(with a (Load/Effort) the effort
movable [cm]
pulley) (Distance
moved by load
is 10 cm)
100 g
200 g

55. Calculate the MA and insert the value into the table above.

56. Lift the load 10 cm up. What distance did you have to move
the force sensor in order to lift the load? Insert the distance
value in the table above.

57. Calculate the velocity ratio and insert the data in the previous
table.

Summary questions

1. Which system decreased the effort? Explain what causes the

effort to decrease.

2. What is the advantage of using the pulley that does not

decrease the effort over just lifting the weight without a
pulley?

3. What is the advantage of the compound pulley over the

movable pulley?

4. What is the connection between the mechanical advantage

and the velocity ratio?

5. What force do you have to exert to lift a 70 Kg weight using a

system with a mechanical advantage of 3?

Experiment P-8 Pulley System Ver 3.3.5