1Two simple things to know first
Pulling is force — and a wheel can flip your pull
You only need two ideas. Watch each one:
Holding a weight up takes force
Your rope has to pull as hard as gravity pulls down. A heavier weight needs a harder pull. That's the effort you feel in your hands.
A wheel flips your pull around
A pulley is just a grooved wheel the rope rides over. Pull down on one side and the other side goes up. The wheel turns the direction of your pull.
2Two ways to set up a pulley
The direction trick vs the sharing trick
There's more than one way to hang the rope. They help you in two completely different ways:
The direction trick
One wheel only flips your pull — you pull down to lift up. Handy, but your pull is still the bucket's full weight.
The sharing trick
Now the bucket hangs from several rope strands at once. Each strand carries a share, so your pull feels lighter.
3Your turn — haul the rope
Pull the rope down and lift the bucket
Here's one wheel on the well. Drag the green handle down (or tap the button) to haul the rope. Watch the bucket climb — and watch the two gauges as you pull.
drag the handle, or tap “haul the rope”
4Now add more wheels
Same heavy bucket. What does adding wheels really cost? 🪣
The bucket never changes weight. The only thing you'll change now is how many rope strands share the load. More strands make the pull lighter — but make a guess first.
Guess before you add a single wheel
Adding pulley wheels makes the heavy bucket feel lighter to lift. Do you get that for free — or does something else have to cost more?