What machines do is alter the effort needed to a more convenient form. It might make the load ten times easier to move, for instance, by allowing you to apply the effort over ten times the distance. The distance moved by the effort divided by the distance moved by the load is called the velocity ratio. If the velocity ratio is greater than 1, the effort moves further than the load. Moving anything requires work.
Work is the force applied times the distance moved.
In a perfect machine, the work put in at one end would match the work coming out at the other to shift the load. So applying an effort of 1kg over 10m might move a load of 10kg 1m. In practice, no machine is perfect, for friction and other forces reduce efficiency. Another way of assessing efficiency is simply to divide the MA by the velocity ratio, and multiply by 100 to give a percentage. Levers A lever is a simple machine that makes it easier to move a load.