To determine the Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) of a pencil sharpener, we use the formula:
[tex]\[ IMA = \frac{\text{Radius of Handle}}{\text{Radius of Mechanism}} \][/tex]
Given the information:
- The radius of the handle is [tex]\( 1.5 \)[/tex] cm.
- The radius of the mechanism is [tex]\( 0.5 \)[/tex] cm.
We substitute these values into the formula:
[tex]\[ IMA = \frac{1.5 \, \text{cm}}{0.5 \, \text{cm}} \][/tex]
Simplifying this fraction:
[tex]\[ IMA = \frac{1.5}{0.5} \][/tex]
To divide [tex]\( 1.5 \)[/tex] by [tex]\( 0.5 \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ IMA = 3 \][/tex]
Therefore, the Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) of the pencil sharpener is [tex]\( 3 \)[/tex].
So, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{3} \][/tex]
