There are six simple machines: lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and wedge. They allow a smaller force to overcome a larger force or move a load a greater distance. The actual mechanical advantage of a machine is the ratio of the output force to the input force. The ideal mechanical advantage is the ratio of the input distance to the output distance. Due to friction and other losses, the efficiency of a machine is the ratio of its output work to its input work and is always less than 100%. Simple machines allow work to be done more easily by changing either the size, direction, or point of application of a force.