If you’ve just finished the “Student Exploration: Pulley Lab” simulation (common in Gizmos, ExploreLearning, or similar platforms), you know it’s not just about pulling ropes. It’s about mechanical advantage, effort force, and trade-offs.
By: The STEM Educator Team
Use this answer key to check your work, but more importantly, understand why the numbers appear as they do. Physics isn’t just about getting the right answer—it’s about predicting the trade-offs. student exploration pulley lab answer key
To raise the load 1 meter, how far must you pull the rope? A3: 2 meters (distance doubles) If you’ve just finished the “Student Exploration: Pulley
Load = 200 N. Effort force? A2: 50 N (200 ÷ 4 = 50) Physics isn’t just about getting the right answer—it’s
Does a fixed pulley reduce the force needed? A2: No. It changes the direction of force, not the magnitude.
If the load is 50 N, what effort force is required? A3: 50 N (MA = 1 → Effort = Load/1 = 50 N)