Johnny Lumberjack uses a mallet and wedge to help him split wood. The picture shows the mallet and wedge

Question

Dimensions
8cm
16 cm

Johnny Lumberjack uses the wedge because it is a simple machine that provides a mechanical advantage. What is the mechanical advantage of the wedge? Mechanical Advantage = length of sloped side/width of wedge

A. .5
B. .8.0
C. 4.5
D. 2.0

Answer 1

To find the mechanical advantage of the wedge, we need to calculate the length of the sloped side and the width of the wedge.

Length of sloped side = 16 cm
Width of wedge = 8 cm

Mechanical Advantage = length of sloped side/width of wedge
Mechanical Advantage = 16 cm / 8 cm
Mechanical Advantage = 2.0

Therefore, the mechanical advantage of the wedge is 2.0.