In an ideal simple machine, what happens to the total work?

In an ideal simple machine, what happens to the total work?

• A. Total work increases.
• B. Total work decreases.
• C. Total work remains the same.
• D. There is no work done.

Answer: (C)

Energy is conserved in an ideal simple machine because there’s no friction or other losses. The work you do on the machine is transferred to the load, so the amount of work stays the same: input work equals output work. Since work is force times distance, you can trade a larger force over a shorter distance for a smaller force over a longer distance, but the product remains equal. If there were friction, some energy would be lost as heat, and the output work would be less, but in the ideal case there are no such losses. Thus, total work remains the same.

Energy is conserved in an ideal simple machine because there’s no friction or other losses. The work you do on the machine is transferred to the load, so the amount of work stays the same: input work equals output work. Since work is force times distance, you can trade a larger force over a shorter distance for a smaller force over a longer distance, but the product remains equal. If there were friction, some energy would be lost as heat, and the output work would be less, but in the ideal case there are no such losses. Thus, total work remains the same.