Enter the length of the effort arm and the length of the load arm of a lever into the calculator below to determine the mechanical advantage.

The following formula is used to calculator the mechanical advantage of a lever.

MA = ea / la

• Where MA is the mechanical advantage
• ea is the length of the effort arm
• and la is the length of the load arm

Mechanical advantage is a term used to describe the ratio of an output force to the input force. In other words, the amount of output with a given effort. Using physics and “leverages” certain mechanical features can be constructed to output a larger force that was input.

In the case of a lever, the mechanical advantage is directly related to the length of each arm. Each arm has an equal effect on the MA.

How to calculate a mechanical advantage

1. First, measure the length of the effort arm.

This is the end of the arm that will have force applied to is by the user of the leverage.

2. Next, measure the length of the load arm.

The load arm is the portion of the level that will apply a load to the end object.