What is the efficiency of a lever with an Actual Mechanical Advantage (AMA) of 5.0 and an Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) of 6.0?

To determine the efficiency of a lever, you can use the formula that relates Actual Mechanical Advantage (AMA) to Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA):

Efficiency (%) = (AMA / IMA) × 100

In this case, you have an AMA of 5.0 and an IMA of 6.0. Plugging these values into the formula gives:

Efficiency = (5.0 / 6.0) × 100

Calculating that results in:

Efficiency = (0.8333) × 100 = 83.33%

This rounds to 83.3%, which corresponds to the choice given.

Understanding this concept highlights the difference between AMA and IMA. AMA takes into account real-world factors such as friction and material imperfections that affect performance, while IMA assumes ideal conditions with no energy losses. The efficiency measures how well the lever converts input force to output force compared to the ideal situation. In this question, a calculated efficiency of 83.3% indicates that the lever is relatively efficient, losing some force to friction or other inefficiencies, but still performing well in its function.