| | Simple Machines (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) |
 | | All of these convert low forces into high forces or vice versa, and the ratio of the input force to the output force is the mechanical advantage. |
 | | Mechanical advantage for a lever is equal to the ratio of the length of its two arms, for example, and the mechanical advantage for an inclined plane with the force acting parallel to the plane is the cosecant of the angle of inclination. |
 | | The mechanical advantage of a simple machine is also affected by factors such as friction and elasticity, however, and so will usually differ somewhat from its theoretical value. |
| www.kosmoi.com /Science/Physics/Machines (579 words) |