Critical thinking The advantage of a hydraulic lift is that a force applied to a small piston allows you to lift an object with a weight much greater than the applied force. However, the smaller piston must be pushed down a farther distance than the larger piston is raised. Use the concepts of mechanical advantage and Pascal’s principle to explain why this is. (answer on your notebook).
Answer: Although a smaller force is needed to overcome a larger force, the concept of mechanical advantage (energy conservation) states that the amount of work done must be at least equal to that done in lifting a mass a certain distance. In a hydraulic lift, the pressure is uniform throughout the connecting fluid according to Pascal’s principle. This means that the applied force acts on a smaller area than the weight being lifted, so the applied force must be smaller than the lifted weight. Because the applied force is smaller than the weight it is lifting, the distance through which the applied force acts must be greater than the distance the weight is raised.
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