Answer to Question #107614 in Mechanics | Relativity for blrucker

Question

An inclined plane reduces the effort force by

Answer 1

An inclined plane reduces the effort force by increasing the distance through which the force is applied.

And the work is defined as scalar product of force and displacement:

$$W=Fs\cos{\alpha}\leq Fs$$

So the actual effort decreases and is less than the unity always.

Therefore, an inclined plane reduces the effort as well as work done.

Answer: increasing the distance.