Answering the following questions will help you to focus on the outcomes of these experiments: How does the length to height ratio (the IMA) of trial 1 compare to trial 2?
Why is the actual mechanical advantage less than the ideal mechanical advantage in each of the trials?
If a machine was 100% efficient, how would the AMA compare to the IMA?
Write a summary paragraph discussing this experiment and the results. Use the following questions and topics to help guide the content of your paragraph.

According to your data, was your hypothesis correct? (Be sure to refer to your data when answering this question.)
Summarize the conclusions that you can draw from this experiment. Use the questions above to guide your ideas.
Summarize any difficulties or problems you had in performing the experiment that might have affected the results. Describe how you might change the procedure to avoid these problems.
Give at least three examples from everyday life where an inclined plane is used to reduce the effort force needed to accomplish a task.

Explanation:

Because friction is always present, the actual mechanical advantage of a machine is always less than the ideal mechanical advantage.

Answering the following questions will help you to focus on the outcomes of these experiments:

1.How does the length to height ratio (the IMA) of trial 1 compare to trial 2?

= Trial 1 is 5.09, and Trial 2 is 3.25. Trial 1 is higher because the height of the trial is less than trial 2.

2.Why is the actual mechanical advantage less than the ideal mechanical advantage in each of the trials?

= It is because the machine's ideal mechanical advantage reflects the increase or decrease in force that would have occurred without friction. It is always greater than the actual mechanical advantage because all machines have to overcome friction.

3.If a machine was 100% efficient, how would the AMA compare to the IMA?

= In any real machine, some of the efforts are used to overcome friction. Thus, the resistance force ratio to the effort (AMA) is less than the (IMA).

A frictionless machine would have an efficiency of 100%.

r=rho l/a where a is the area, l is the length and rho is resistivity so the greater the area the lesser the resistance thats why the earth pin is thicker bcos current follow the shortest path, so less resistive .