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Mechanical Advantage
Every linkage that transmits power has a particular mechanical advantage. This is a ratio between the amount of force applied and the amount delivered. "Work" is defined as a force applied through a distance. When work is transmitted through a mechanism that has a mechanical advantage other than 1:1, the force can be increased at the expense of acting through a reduced distance (as in the case of bicycle brakes, or gear-shift levers) or the distance can be increased at the expense of reducing the amount of force transmitted (as in the case of the chain drive where the driving sprocket is larger than the driven sprocket.)
For a more thorough explanation of mechanical advantage, see my article on Cantilever Brakes.
