Differential pulley load, and an endless rope looped around the pulleys. To avoid slippage, the rope is usually replaced by a chain, and the connected pulleys by sprockets. The two sections of chain carrying the single pulley exert opposing and unequal torques on the connected pulleys, such that only the "difference" of these torques has to be compensated manually by pulling the loose part of the chain. This leads to a mechanical advantage: the force needed to lift a load is only a fraction of the load's weight. At the same time, the distance the load is lifted is smaller than the
Grappling hook Grappling hook A grappling hook or grapnel is a device with multiple hooks (known as "claws" or "flukes"), attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge for submerged objects. Historically, grappling hooks were used in naval warfare to catch ship rigging so that it could be boarded. A common design has a central shaft with a hole ("eye") at the shaft base to