A pulley is one of the six amazing simple machines. It is a rope wrapped around a wheel. It is used to lift objects and also to set things down. There are many types of pulleys. There are fixed pulleys, moveable pulleys, and pulley systems. I will explain all of these. A pulley can change the direction or size of the effort force depending on what type of pulley it is.

An example of a pulley is a flagpole. There are usually two hooks on the rope. The chord rotates around the pulley and lowers the hooks so you can attach the flag. Then pull the chord and the flag raises high on the pole.