{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.mechanical-efficiency","code":"thing-q2628085","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q2628085/","name":"mechanical efficiency","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.REL"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The ratio of useful mechanical power or work output to the mechanical power or work input of a machine or mechanism, expressed as a fraction or percentage, less than one when friction and other losses occur and equal to one for an ideal lossless mechanism, applied to gears, pulleys, engines, pumps and simple machines, and related to mechanical advantage and velocity ratio; mechanical efficiency is a component of overall efficiency alongside thermal, electrical and volumetric efficiencies.","purpose":"Let an agent explain mechanical efficiency and its formula, describe losses and how efficiency is measured, support calculations for machines, and support learning in physics and engineering.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Dimensionless ratio","Friction losses","Applies to mechanisms","Component of overall efficiency"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What mechanical efficiency is.","layers":[{"id":"concept","name":"Concept","description":"Concept and formula.","findings":[{"id":"concept-finding","name":"Concept","description":"Concept.","questions":[{"text":"What is mechanical efficiency, how is it calculated, and how does it relate to mechanical advantage and velocity ratio?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which kind of efficiency is meant?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"losses","name":"Losses","description":"Losses.","findings":[{"id":"losses-finding","name":"Losses","description":"Losses.","questions":[{"text":"What causes losses in machines, such as friction, windage and deformation?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits friction?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"calculate","name":"Calculate","description":"Calculation and measurement.","layers":[{"id":"calculate","name":"Calculate","description":"Calculating efficiency.","findings":[{"id":"calculate-finding","name":"Calculate","description":"Calculation.","questions":[{"text":"How can the mechanical efficiency of this machine be calculated from measured input and output?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which entry fits power measurement?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"typical","name":"Typical","description":"Typical values.","findings":[{"id":"typical-finding","name":"Typical","description":"Typical.","questions":[{"text":"What are typical efficiencies of gears, belts, pulleys, engines and pumps, according to references?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits a specific machine?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"improve","name":"Improve","description":"Improving efficiency.","layers":[{"id":"design","name":"Design","description":"Design measures.","findings":[{"id":"design-finding","name":"Design","description":"Design.","questions":[{"text":"How can machine efficiency be improved through bearings, lubrication and design?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits machine design?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"regulation","name":"Regulation","description":"Regulation.","findings":[{"id":"regulation-finding","name":"Regulation","description":"Regulation.","questions":[{"text":"What efficiency regulations apply to motors, pumps and equipment?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits energy efficiency?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"History and teaching.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did the concept of efficiency develop in mechanics and engineering?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"teach","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","findings":[{"id":"teach-finding","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","questions":[{"text":"How can efficiency be taught with simple machine experiments?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which misconceptions arise?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Calculate and report the mechanical efficiency of a machine with stated inputs.","Explain why losses reduce efficiency below one and why an explicitly idealised lossless mechanism has efficiency equal to one."],"mustNot":["Claim an efficiency above one or present idealised unity efficiency as measured performance of a machine with losses.","Inflate efficiency figures in product claims.","Ignore energy losses, such as heat, or their associated hazards when reporting efficiency."],"requiresHuman":["Accepting a machine on efficiency figures in a contract."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Claims of perpetual motion or impossible efficiency are used to defraud investors.","Efficiency affects energy use and emissions."],"affectedParties":["Buyers and investors","Engineers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a physical measure held in common.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q11945244","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"power efficiency","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"heat","type":"related","note":"energy lost as heat"},{"target":"mechanical stress","type":"related","note":"loads in machine components"},{"target":"sensor","type":"related","note":"instruments measuring power"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.mechanical-efficiency","Wikidata: Q2628085 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2628085)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Mechanical efficiency is output power divided by input power.","It is less than one when losses occur and equal to one for an ideal lossless mechanism.","Thermal efficiency concerns heat conversion, while mechanical advantage is a force ratio.","Not physical; a ratio."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the concept and formula","describe losses","support calculations","support learning"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing mechanical with overall efficiency","Claims of efficiency above one","Measurement errors"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Testing standards for machine efficiency","Energy efficiency regulations for equipment","No regulation of the concept"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Ratio of useful output to input in machines.","efficiency of simple machines","gear and drive efficiency","engine mechanical efficiency","pump and turbine mechanical efficiency","efficiency of linkages and bearings"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q2628085: mechanical efficiency","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2628085","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Mechanical efficiency","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_efficiency","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should mechanical advantage be a separate entry?","How should testing standards be linked?","How should efficiency data be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q2628085/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q2628085/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T04:55:59Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:29+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}