If we had to lift a heavy load, pulleys can make the job easier. A pulley is a simple machine made with a rope, belt or chain wrapped around a wheel.

A pulley changes the  direction of the force, making it easier to lift things to high-rise areas. One example being a flagpole.

 There are three types of pulleys:

1.) A fixed pulley is the only pulley that when used individually, uses more effort than the load to lift the load from the ground. The wheel does not move. Fixed pulleys change the direction of the effort force. It does not increase the size of the effort force.
The advantage of the fixed pulley is that you do not have to pull or push the pulley up and down. The disadvantage is that you have to apply more effort than the load.

2.) A movable pulley is a pulley that moves with the load. The movable pulley allows the effort to be less than the weight of the load. The movable pulley also acts as a second class lever. The load is between the fulcrum and the effort. The main disadvantage of a movable pulley is that you have to pull or push the pulley up or down. The main advantage of a movable pulley is that you use less effort to pull the load.

3.) A combined pulley makes life easier as the effort needed to lift the load is less than half the weight of the load. The main advantage of this pulley is that the amount of effort is less than half of the load. The main disadvantage is it travels a very long distance.

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