Machines — ICSE Class 10 Physics Important Questions
13 hand-picked ICSE Class 10 Physics important questions for Machines, each with a full model answer — the formats and topics most likely to appear in your board exam.
- 13
- Questions
- 6
- Question types
- 32
- Total marks
- ₹0
- With answers
High-yield ICSE Machines questions use mechanical advantage MA=L/E, velocity ratio VR=d_E/d_L, and efficiency =MA/VR=useful work out/work in. Levers of three classes, the single fixed/movable pulley, and block-and-tackle systems (VR=n) appear as numericals almost every year.
About Machines
In the ICSE Class 10 Physics chapter Machines you study simple machines and the terms load, effort, mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and efficiency. You classify levers into three orders, analyse single fixed and single movable pulleys and block-and-tackle systems, and solve numericals relating MA, VR and efficiency, remembering that for an ideal (frictionless) machine MA=VR.
Key concepts & formulas
Mechanical advantage MA=Load/Effort=L/E; velocity ratio VR=distance moved by effort/distance moved by load=d_E/d_L. Both are ratios and have no units.
Efficiency =useful work output/work input=L× d_L/E× d_E=MA/VR. For an ideal machine =1 so MA=VR; friction makes <1 and MA<VR.
A lever turns about a fulcrum. Class I: fulcrum between load and effort (see-saw). Class II: load between fulcrum and effort (wheelbarrow), MA>1. Class III: effort between fulcrum and load (forceps, forearm), MA<1.
A single fixed pulley has VR=1 (changes only direction). A single movable pulley has ideal VR=2. A block and tackle with n load-supporting strands has VR=n and ideal MA=n.
Get all 13 Machines questions as a PDF
The full question bank with model answers — perfect for offline revision and last-minute practice.
Important questions with answers
Try each on paper first, then reveal the model answer to check your method.
| Question type | Count | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ | 4 | 1 |
| Assertion–Reason | 1 | 1 |
| Very Short | 2 | 2 |
| Short Answer | 3 | 3 |
| Long Answer | 2 | 5 |
| Case-based | 1 | 4 |
Multiple-choice questions (1 mark)
A single fixed pulley is used because it:
- (a)
increases the mechanical advantage
- (b)
changes the direction of the effort
- (c)
reduces the effort to half
- (d)
has velocity ratio 2
Show model answer
Answer: (b) changes the direction of the effort.
A single fixed pulley has VR=1 and ideal MA=1, so it does not reduce the effort; its use is to change the direction of the applied effort, making work more convenient.
In a wheelbarrow, the load lies between the fulcrum and the effort. It is therefore a lever of:
- (a)
class I
- (b)
class II
- (c)
class III
- (d)
no fixed class
Show model answer
Answer: (b) class II.
When the load is between the fulcrum (wheel axle) and the effort (hands), it is a class II lever, which always has MA>1.
A machine has a velocity ratio of 5 and an efficiency of 80\%. Its mechanical advantage is:
- (a)
3
- (b)
4
- (c)
5
- (d)
6.25
Show model answer
Answer: (b) 4.
=MA/VR MA=× VR=0.80×5=4.
In a block and tackle system with 4 strands supporting the load, an effort of 30 N raises a load of 100 N. The efficiency of the system is:
- (a)
75\%
- (b)
80\%
- (c)
83\%
- (d)
100\%
Show model answer
Answer: (c) 83\%.
VR=4 (number of strands). MA=L/E=100/30=3.33. Efficiency =MA/VR=3.33/4=0.83383\%.
Want every Machines question solved live, at your pace?
Practise free with the AI tutor →Assertion–Reason questions (1 mark)
Assertion (A): The mechanical advantage of an actual machine is always less than its velocity ratio.
Reason (R): Some work done by the effort is always used up against friction, so the efficiency is less than 1.
- (a)
Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b)
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- (c)
A is true but R is false
- (d)
A is false but R is true
Show model answer
Answer: (a) Since =MA/VR and friction makes <1, we get MA<VR for a real machine. R correctly explains A.
Very short answer questions (2 marks)
Define mechanical advantage and velocity ratio of a machine. Why have they no units?
Show model answer
Mechanical advantage (MA) is the ratio of the load to the effort: MA=L/E.
Velocity ratio (VR) is the ratio of the distance moved by the effort to the distance moved by the load in the same time: VR=d_E/d_L.
Both are ratios of two like quantities (force/force and distance/distance), so the units cancel and they are pure numbers with no units.
A crowbar of length 1.5 m is used to lift a stone. If the fulcrum is placed 0.25 m from the stone, calculate the mechanical advantage of this class I lever.
Show model answer
Effort arm =1.5-0.25=1.25 m; load arm =0.25 m.
For an ideal lever, MA=VR=effort arm/load arm:
MA=1.25/0.25=5.
The mechanical advantage is 5.
Short answer questions (3 marks)
Draw a labelled diagram of a single movable pulley used to lift a load. State its ideal velocity ratio and one advantage and one disadvantage.
Show model answer
In a single movable pulley the load hangs from the movable pulley and two strands of the string support it; the effort is applied to the free end.
Ideal velocity ratio VR=2 (two strands support the load), so ideal MA=2.
Advantage: the effort needed is about half the load. Disadvantage: the effort has to be applied in the upward direction, which is inconvenient.
A machine is driven by an effort of 200 N that moves through 8 m to raise a load of 600 N through 2 m. Calculate its (i) mechanical advantage, (ii) velocity ratio, and (iii) efficiency.
Show model answer
(i) Mechanical advantage:
MA=L/E=600/200=3.
(ii) Velocity ratio:
VR=d_E/d_L=8/2=4.
(iii) Efficiency:
=MA/VR=3/4=0.75=75\%.
The machine has MA=3, VR=4 and efficiency 75\%.
The efficiency of a machine is 60\%. It is used to raise a load of 150 N through 4 m. If the velocity ratio is 5, find the effort required and the work done against friction.
Show model answer
Velocity ratio VR=5, efficiency =0.60.
Mechanical advantage:
MA=× VR=0.60×5=3.
Effort:
E=L/MA=150/3=50 N.
Effort distance =VR× load distance =5×4=20 m.
Work input =E× d_E=50×20=1000 J.
Useful work output =L× d_L=150×4=600 J.
Work done against friction = input - output =1000-600=400 J.
Effort =50 N and work lost to friction =400 J.
Long answer questions (5 marks)
(a) What is a lever? Draw and label the three orders of levers with one example of each. (b) Explain why a pair of scissors used to cut cloth has long handles and short blades.
Show model answer
(a) A lever is a rigid bar capable of turning about a fixed point called the fulcrum, on which a load is overcome by an effort. The three orders are shown below.
Class I (fulcrum in the middle): a see-saw. Class II (load in the middle): a wheelbarrow. Class III (effort in the middle): a pair of forceps.
(b) In cloth-cutting scissors the effort arm (handle) is longer than the load arm (blade). This makes MA=effort arm/load arm>1, so a small effort applied to the long handles cuts the cloth easily, though the blades move a smaller distance.
A block and tackle system has 5 pulleys, with all 5 strands supporting the load. It is used to lift a load of 200 N by an effort of 50 N. Draw the system, and find (i) the velocity ratio, (ii) the mechanical advantage, (iii) the efficiency, and (iv) the effort needed if it were an ideal (frictionless) machine.
Show model answer
In this block and tackle, 5 strands of the string support the load, so VR=5.
(i) Velocity ratio VR= number of load-supporting strands =5.
(ii) Mechanical advantage:
MA=L/E=200/50=4.
(iii) Efficiency:
=MA/VR=4/5=0.8=80\%.
(iv) For an ideal machine MA=VR=5, so
E_ideal=L/VR=200/5=40 N.
An ideal frictionless system would need only 40 N.
Case-based questions (4 marks)
The human forearm acts as a lever. The elbow joint is the fulcrum, the biceps muscle applies the effort just 4 cm from the elbow, and a load is held in the hand 32 cm from the elbow.
(i) To which class of lever does the forearm belong?
(ii) Calculate the velocity ratio of this lever.
(iii) Is its mechanical advantage greater or less than 1? What does this mean about the muscle force?
(iv) State one benefit of this arrangement despite the mechanical disadvantage.
Show model answer
(i) The effort (biceps) lies between the fulcrum (elbow) and the load (hand), so the forearm is a class III lever.
(ii) For an ideal lever VR=effort arm/load arm=4/32=1/8=0.125.
(iii) Since the ideal MA=VR=0.125<1, the mechanical advantage is less than 1. This means the muscle must exert a force greater than the load (about 8 times the load) to hold it.
(iv) Although it needs a large effort, the arrangement gives a large gain in speed and range of movement: a small movement of the biceps produces a large, fast movement of the hand.
All ICSE Class 10 Physics Chapters
Frequently asked questions
Are these Machines important questions free?
Yes. All 13 ICSE Class 10 Physics important questions for Machines are free, with full model answers and no login required.Do these Machines questions follow the latest ICSE syllabus?
Yes — they are aligned to the CISCE latest syllabus syllabus for ICSE Class 10 Physics, so nothing here is outside the current course.How should I practise the Machines important questions?
Attempt each question on paper first, then reveal the model answer to check your method — not just the final result. Re-do anything you got wrong the same day.What types of questions are covered for Machines?
A full mix — multiple-choice questions, assertion–reason questions, very short answer questions, short answer questions, long answer questions, case-based questions — so every format in the ICSE paper is covered.
Stuck on Machines? Let the AI tutor help
Free to start · Step-by-step Socratic help · ICSE Class 10 Physics
Practise Machines free →