Mission: Move It!

Ramps and Pulleys

Baines has purchased a new piano that needs to be moved to the second floor of our
school. The piano will not fit in the elevator. The plan is to move the piano using the
stairwell. Your mission, 6th grade science students, is to investigate which simple machine,
a pulley or a ramp, will help move the piano up the stairs with the least amount of effort
force. Remember simple machines help us do work by reducing the force needed to do a
job. At the end of this activity, you will be asked to make a recommendation of which
machine is the better choice to move the school piano. You MUST provide evidence from
this lab activity to support your reasoning. We are counting on you! Good luck!
Pre-Lab Questions:
1. Which simple machine do you think will be the best choice to move the piano to the
second floor?
2. Write a hypothesis based on your choice.

Pulleys:
Station 1- Fixed Pulley

Station 2- Single Moveable Pulley

Trials

Trials

Force need
to lift the
object 20
cm
(N)

Force
needed to
lift the
object with
the pulley
(N)

Aver
age
Control Variable=
Manipulated Variable=
Responding Variable=

Force need
to lift the
object 20
cm
(N)

Force
needed to
lift the
object with
the pulley
(N)

Aver
age
Control Variable=
Manipulated Variable=
Responding Variable=

Ramps:
Station 3- low (1)
Trials

Force need
to lift the
object 20 cm
(N)

Station 4- medium (2)

Force Needed
to Lift the
object 20 cm
using a ramp
(N)

Avera
ge
Control Variable=
Manipulated Variable=
Responding Variable=

Avera
ge
Control Variable=
Manipulated Variable=
Responding Variable=

Station 5- high (3)

Force need
to lift the
object 20 cm
(N)

Trials

Trials

Force need
to lift the
object 20 cm
(N)

Force Needed
to Lift the
object 20 cm
using a ramp
(N)

Force Needed
to Lift the
object 20 cm
using a ramp
(N)

2
3
Avera
ge
Control Variable=
Manipulated Variable=
Responding Variable=

Questions:
1. What is the difference between the force needed to lift the object by itself and the
force need to lift with the pulley?

2. Which pulley required the least amount of force to move the object, Station 1 or
Station 2?

3. How does lifting the object without a ramp compare to using a ramp?

4. Which ramp required the least amount of force to move the object, Station 3, 4, or 5?

5. Based on your investigation of both ramps and pulleys, make a recommendation of

which simple machine would be the best choice to move the piano to the second
floor at Baines.

6. What are the characteristics of the pulley or ramp you chose in #5? Support your

answers with evidence from this lab.