Block and tackle in the line that either attach to or run through the moving blocks—in other words, the number of supporting rope sections. An ideal block and tackle with a moving block supported by "n" rope sections has the mechanical advantage (MA), where F is the hauling (or input) force and F is the load. Consider the set of pulleys that form the moving block and the parts of the rope that support this block. If there are "n" of these parts of the rope supporting the load "F," then a force balance on the moving block shows that the tension in
Block and tackle output force), formula_5 is the ideal mechanical advantage of the system (which is the same as the number of segments of line extending from the moving block), and formula_6 is the mechanical efficiency of the system (equal to one for an ideal frictionless system; a fraction less than one for real-world systems with energy losses due to friction and other causes). If formula_7 is the number of sheaves in the purchase, and there is a roughly formula_8% loss of efficiency at each sheave due to friction, then: This approximation is more accurate for smaller values of formula_7 and formula_8. A