How many pulleys are needed for a standard 2:1 Mechanical Advantage System?

For a standard 2:1 mechanical advantage system, only one pulley is needed. In this configuration, one pulley is used to change the direction of force, allowing the rescuer to pull down on the rope while effectively lifting the load upwards.

In a 2:1 mechanical advantage setup, the rope goes up from the load to the pulley and then back down, creating two segments of rope supporting the load. This setup effectively doubles the lifting power applied to the load, as the force exerted by the rescuer is distributed equally among the two segments of rope.

This simplicity of requiring just one pulley is what makes a 2:1 system efficient for scenarios where increased mechanical advantage is needed without the complexity of additional pulleys, which would be required for higher mechanical advantage systems.