An inclined plane is a simple machine that provides mechanical advantage by reducing the force required to lift an object. However, the reduced force must be applied over a longer distance. The machine consists of a flat surface that is tilted by an angle such that one end of the surface is higher than the other.
For a frictionless inclined plane the amount of effective work done equals the potential energy gained, which is proportional to the vertical displacement , that is,
.
On the other hand, the actual work done can be calculated as the product of the force applied and the distance, , traveled along the inclined plane:
.
Since the effective force overcome is the object's weight, , the mechanical advantage works out to
.
Given that
,
where, is the angle of inclination, the mechanical advantage can also be represented by:
,
With the addition of friction opposing the movement of the mass, the mechanical advantage is reduced as some of the input energy is converted to heat. As a result, more effort is required in order to push the object up the inclined plane.