mechanical advantage

American  

noun

Mechanics.

1. the ratio of output force to the input force applied to a mechanism.

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mechanical advantage British  

noun

1. the ratio of the working force exerted by a mechanism to the applied effort

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mechanical advantage Scientific  

/ mĭ-kăn′ĭ-kəl /

1. The ratio of the output force (acting on a load) produced by a machine to the applied effort (the input force).

2. See also efficiency

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Etymology

Origin of mechanical advantage

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mechanical advantage

After launching the new Alphafly version on Wednesday, Nike Chief Executive John Donahoe denied that the technology gives athletes a mechanical advantage.

From Reuters ● Feb. 6, 2020

It’s a more efficient way of generating power - “A mechanical advantage we can create for ourselves,” is how he describes it.

From Washington Times ● May 10, 2017

The jaw is somewhat exceptional—the masseter muscles that close the jaw have a mechanical advantage greater than 1 for the back teeth, allowing us to exert very large forces with them.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

There had been talk of banning Pistorius from Olympic competition, because officials fear that his prostheses give him a mechanical advantage.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2012

All these simple machines provide a mechanical advantage in moving a load.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton