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Construct one or more simple machines, or a combination of them (lever, pulley, and inclined plane) using easily available materials, such as cardboard, wooden strips or rulers, pencils or bolts (to act as a fulcrum), thread or rope, small pulleys (or two bottle caps stuck together), and paper cups to hold small weights. Be imaginative in your design. Use your model to lift or move a small load, measure the effort and the load, and calculate the mechanical advantage.
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Build, say, a lever (ruler on a pencil) or a pulley (bottle caps) and lift a cup of coins. Measure the load (weight lifted) and the effort (force you apply), then compute mechanical advantage = load ÷ effort. A model with a longer effort arm or a longer ramp should give a mechanical advantage greater than 1.
