A hand-cranked generator uses two interlocking gears. In arrangement 1, a driving gear with 24 teeth turns a smaller gear with 12 teeth on the generator shaft. In arrangement 2, the driving gear is replaced by a larger gear with 36 teeth. The 12-tooth gear is unchanged.
The crank makes the same number of rotations each second in both arrangements.
Explain why the generator shaft makes more rotations each second in arrangement 2 than in arrangement 1.
Explain why, in arrangement 2, the moment produced at the generator shaft is smaller than the moment applied to the driving gear.
A student says, “The smaller moment at the generator shaft means that less energy must be transferred to the generator in the same time.”
Explain why the student's conclusion is not justified.
124 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 5.4 Moments, levers and gears, covering 5.4 Moments, levers and gears. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.