Question

Use the image of the pulley to answer the question.

An illustration shows a system of two pulleys lifting a block.

Lifting the weight without a pulley requires a force of 400 newtons over a distance of 4 meters. How do these values change when the pulley is applied?

(1 point)
Responses

Both the force and the distance increase.
Both the force and the distance increase.

The force decreases, while the distance increases.
The force decreases, while the distance increases.

The force increases, while the distance decreases.
The force increases, while the distance decreases.

Both the force and the distance decrease.

Answer 1

When using a pulley system, the mechanical advantage typically allows you to lift a weight with less force than would be required without the pulley. However, this usually means that the distance over which you must apply that force increases.

In this scenario, since lifting the weight without a pulley requires a force of 400 newtons, when a pulley is applied, you would expect:

- The force needed to lift the weight to **decrease** (because the pulley helps in distributing the weight).
- The distance over which the force is applied to **increase** (because you might need to pull the rope over a longer distance to lift the weight the same height).

Therefore, the correct response is:

**The force decreases, while the distance increases.**