What do screws use to increase mechanical advantage?

Screws utilize threads and pitch to enhance mechanical advantage by converting rotational motion into linear motion. The threads of a screw are spiraled around the shaft, creating a helical incline that allows for greater force to be applied through a smaller amount of rotational movement. The pitch refers to the distance between each thread, which determines how much the screw will advance with each complete turn.

When a force is applied to turn the screw, the design of the threads allows that force to be amplified as the screw penetrates materials or lifts loads. This capability makes screws particularly effective in applications such as fastening objects together or in lifting mechanisms. The combination of threads and pitch is crucial because it maximizes the input effort while minimizing the required force to achieve the desired vertical movement or gripping capacity, illustrating how simple machines leverage physical principles to achieve larger outputs from smaller inputs.