What happens to the mechanical advantage of a second-class lever as the effort arm increases?

In a second-class lever, the arrangement is such that the load is located between the effort applied and the fulcrum. The mechanical advantage is defined as the ratio of the length of the effort arm to the length of the load arm. As the effort arm increases, while keeping the load arm constant, the mechanical advantage increases.

This is because a longer effort arm allows for more force to be applied over a greater distance, effectively making it easier to lift or move the load with less input force. Consequently, when the effort arm is extended, you are able to apply a smaller amount of effort to lift the same load, which directly translates to an increased mechanical advantage.

The other options do not accurately reflect the behavior of mechanical advantage in a second-class lever when the effort arm changes. The nature of levers and mechanical advantage illustrates the principle that leveraging longer arms for the effort creates a more significant amplification of force, which is a fundamental concept in mechanics.