Ropes - force gaining systems

In physics is all about the amount of energy you need to transport a mass from one place to an other.

 Work = Force x Distance

When you need a force of 1000 N to transfer a mass over 10 meter you spend 10.000 Joules

You can reach the same result with a force of 500 N but then you need to apply this force over 20 meters. This is exact what happens when you have only one pulley.

You have the same experience with a bicycle. In a higher gear you have to spin much faster (with less force) to reach the same speed as in a lower gear with more force

W = F x S is the formula - there is no energy gain possible

the important thing in pulley systems is the moving part (the moving pulley and not the fixed one), you can calculate the gain by the number of ropes that go out of the moving polley, since when your'e connected to the system to ropes leave you get a X2 gain while when somebody else pulls you the pulley only changes the direction of the force but doesn't give a gain because she is fixed!