Simple Machines: What Is a Lever?
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Do you help sweep the floor at home or school with a broom? Have you ever swung a baseball bat? Do you flip the light switch off when you leave a room? These are all examples of simple machines called levers.
Levers have two parts: an arm and a fulcrum. The arm is a straight bar. The bar pivots, or turns, around a fixed point called a fulcrum. We can push or pull one part of the arm to move another part. This helps make our work easier.
When using a broom, we use one hand to move the handle. The handle is the arm of the lever. Our hand applies an effort force, or push or pull. That force is moved from the broom handle to the dirty floor. The dirt on the floor is load, or object we are trying to move. The top of the broom is the fulcrum around which the broom handle turns. There are three classes, or types, of levers. The lever class depends on the positions of the fulcrum, the effort force, and the load.
Can you think of any other levers you use?
Levers have two parts: an arm and a fulcrum. The arm is a straight bar. The bar pivots, or turns, around a fixed point called a fulcrum. We can push or pull one part of the arm to move another part. This helps make our work easier.
When using a broom, we use one hand to move the handle. The handle is the arm of the lever. Our hand applies an effort force, or push or pull. That force is moved from the broom handle to the dirty floor. The dirt on the floor is load, or object we are trying to move. The top of the broom is the fulcrum around which the broom handle turns. There are three classes, or types, of levers. The lever class depends on the positions of the fulcrum, the effort force, and the load.
Can you think of any other levers you use?
A.
A hockey stick is an example of a lever.
- True
- False
C.
Which is the best definition of fulcrum?
- straight bar
- push or pull
- turning point
E.
Denise made the table below for her science report. She needs to add a title to the table.
Which is the best title for Denise's table?
? | |
---|---|
Type | Description |
First | fulcrum in middle of arm |
Second | load in middle of arm |
Third | effort force in middle of arm |
Which is the best title for Denise's table?
- How to Use a Lever
- Three Classes of Levers
- The Six Simple Machines
- Real World Examples of Levers