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Explanation of the Efficiency of Machines by Ron Kurtus - Succeed in Understanding Physics. Also refer to energy, work, resistance, friction, heat, losses, conservation of energy, lever, ramp, automobile engine, Physical Science, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Efficiency of Machines
by Ron Kurtus (10 September 2009)
A major factor in the usefulness of a machine is its efficiency.
A machine converts the force provided from an input energy into motion that changes the magnitude or direction of that force. This motion against a resistive force is the work done by the machine. According to the Law of Conservation of Energy, the total input energy must equal the total output energy. However, some of the output energy does not contribute to the output work and is lost to such things as friction and heat.
The efficiency of a machine is the ratio of the input energy to the useful output work.
Questions you may have include:
- What is the work done by a machine?
- What role does the Conservation of Energy play in machines?
- What is the efficiency of a machine?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
Useful tools: Metric-English Conversion | Scientific Calculator.
Work done by a machine
You need to know the output work or energy to determine the efficiency of a machine.
The work done by a machine is the distance the force moves the object against the resistive force. This output work is designated as:
Wo = Fodo
where
- Wo is the output work
- Fo is the output force to move the object
- do is the distance the object moves
For example, a lever will lift a weight against the resistive force of gravity.
Conservation of energy
Since work is equivalent to energy expended and following the Law of Conservation of Energy, the output work should equal the input work or energy:
Wo = Wi or Wo = Ei
where
- Wi is the input work
- Ei is the input energy
But that is true only in an ideal machine. In reality, there are losses to the output from internal friction, heat or other things that take away from the efficiency of the machine.
The real situation is:
Ei = Wo+ EL
where EL is the energy that is lost.
For example, the energy expended in pushing a box up a ramp is greater than the work done or than the potential energy of having the box at a greater height. This is because useful energy is lost due to the friction of the box sliding along the ramp surface.
Another example is the output work available from a gasoline engine is less than the input energy of the fuel. Much heat energy is wasted and not used in the output.
Efficiency
The efficiency of a machine is the output work or energy divided by the input work or energy.
Efficiency = Wo/Wi
As an illustration of the losses in all machines, a simple lever loses about 2% of the input energy to internal friction at its fulcrum, such that its efficiency is 98%. If 100 joules of work is input, 98 joules of work is the output.
On the other hand, the efficiency of an automobile is only around 15%. About 75% of the energy is lost through wasted heat from the engine and another 10% is lost due to internal friction, including losses from tire friction.
Summary
The usefulness of a machine is determined by its efficiency. A machine converts the force provided from an input energy into output work. The Law of Conservation of Energy requires that the total input energy must equal the total output energy. Some output energy does not contribute to the output work and is lost to friction or heat. The efficiency of a machine is the ratio of the input energy to the useful output work (output divided by input).
Use science to make things more efficient
Resources and references
The following resources provide information on this subject:
Websites
Books
Top-rated
books on Simple Machines
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Physics. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Efficiency of Machines