Answer to Question #81863 in Mechanics | Relativity for Nick

Question

A person who stands on a stage that a reel setup on in and a rope cross through it that end of it link to roof can climb himself by pulling it?

Answer 1

A person can climb up pulling the rope by himself using a block and a tackle. If a person pulls the opposite side of the rope down for Δx, a person will go up for Δx. With one block a person will have to pull his own weight. With a tackle it will become easier in 2, 4 or more times, though the lifting speed will decrease correspondingly.

It is apparently impossible to pull yourself up using a reel since it has a simple mechanism and short lever, though on YouTube you can find videos where the reel with complex mechanism with gears is made, and it can lift heavy weights. But anyway the leverage usually is too small to use it as suggested in the question.

Answer

It depends on current situation.