• 12 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Pulley System

One fixed pulley up close, then a fixed and a movable pulley sharing one rope.

Parts of a Pulley System

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Wheel (sheave)
  2. Axle
  3. Rope
  4. Load
  5. Effort
  6. Groove
  7. Frame
  8. Hook
  9. Support
  10. Fixed pulley
  11. Movable pulley
  12. Hauling part (fall line)

Own drawing from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: draw the forces on a hanging load

All 12 parts on the diagram

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One fixed pulley 9

  1. Wheel (sheave) It turns as the rope moves over it.
  2. Axle The wheel turns on it.
  3. Rope It carries the pull to the load.
  4. Load The weight being lifted.
  5. Effort The pull put on the rope.
  6. Groove The rope rides in it and stays on the wheel.
  7. Frame It holds the axle and hangs from the hook.
  8. Hook It hangs the pulley from the support.
  9. Support The fixed thing the pulley hangs from.

Fixed and movable 3

  1. Fixed pulley It stays in place and turns the pull around.
  2. Movable pulley It rises with the load and halves the effort.
  3. Hauling part (fall line) The end of the rope that is pulled.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of these use it. (1) US Navy, Basic Machines (NAVEDTRA 14037), chapter 2, Block and tackle, full text at https://archive.org/details/navedtra-14037-basic-machines-1994 : a pulley is a grooved wheel that turns by the action of a rope in the groove; sheave, fixed block, movable block, fall, hauling part, load, effort. (2) US Army, FM 5-125, Rigging Techniques, Procedures, and Applications, full text at https://archive.org/details/FM_5_125_R_T_P_A_C1_1995 : a block is a frame containing one or more sheaves; fixed block on a solid support, traveling block on the load, fall line, hook, sheave pin. (3) Wikipedia, Pulley and Block and tackle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulley and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_and_tackle : a wheel on an axle, groove, rope, fixed pulley on a supporting structure, movable pulley, frame, hook, hauling part, load. (4) Simple Machines Curriculum, teachers' manual, Anoka-Hennepin Independent School District No. 11 (ERIC ED288712), full text at https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153324_0881 : a grooved wheel, the axle the pulley pivots round, fixed and movable pulleys, block and tackle, load, effort. Licence: own work

The drawing: Own drawing from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A pulley, a grooved wheel, turns on an axle as a rope runs over it. Two drawings: one fixed pulley up close, then a fixed and a movable pulley working together.

Read the full guide

One fixed pulley

The wheel hangs from a support by its hook and frame. Pull down on one end of the rope and the load on the other end goes up. A fixed pulley turns the direction of the effort. It does not make the load any lighter to lift.

Add a movable pulley

A movable pulley hangs in the rope and rises with the load. Two parts of the rope now hold the load, so each carries half of it, and the pull on the hauling part is half the load. The rope has to be pulled twice as far.

  • Count the parts of the rope that hold up the movable pulley. That number is the mechanical advantage.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a pulley?

A wheel, also called a sheave, with a groove round its rim; an axle it turns on; a frame that holds the axle; and the rope that runs in the groove. A hook hangs the frame from a support.

What is the difference between a fixed pulley and a movable pulley?

A fixed pulley stays in one place and only changes the direction of the pull. A movable pulley is hooked to the load and moves with it, and it halves the effort needed.

What is a block and tackle?

It is two or more pulleys with one rope threaded between them. One block is fixed, one rides with the load, and the rope between them multiplies the pull.

What are load and effort?

The load is the weight being lifted. The effort is the pull a person puts on the free end of the rope.

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