What is Lever?- Principle, Types, And Examples

When you think of a lever, you may think of a piece of construction machinery or laboratory equipment. But like most simple machines, levers are part of your everyday life — and in many ways, they make your everyday life possible!

Levers are the most basic machines which are used to do some work with minimal effort. A lever amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, which is said to provide leverage.

We are aware that there are various types of levers depending on the position of the fulcrum, the force, and the weight. Every tool which is used to perform work comes under any one of these categories.

What is a Lever?

A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or fulcrum, used to transfer a force to a load and usually to provide a mechanical advantage.

A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. Based on the locations of fulcrum, load, and effort, the lever is divided into three types.

Also, leverage is a mechanical advantage gained in a system. It is perfect for lifting or moving heavy things. It is a useful simple machine, and you can find them everywhere.

Good examples of levers include the seesaw, crowbar, fishing line, oars, wheelbarrows, and the garden shovel.

It is one of the six simple machines identified by Renaissance scientists. A lever amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, which is said to provide leverage. The ratio of the output force to the input force is the mechanical advantage of the lever.

Simply put, levers are machines used to increase force. We call them “simple machines” because they have only two parts, the handle, and the fulcrum.

The handle or bar of the lever is called the “arm”, Scissors sit on the part that you push or pull on. The “fulcrum” is the point on which the lever turns or balances.

As such, the lever is a mechanical advantage device, trading off forces against movement. The formula for the mechanical advantage of a lever is Load/Effort.

A man could lift his weight several times by pulling down on the long arm. It is said that this device was used in Egypt and India as early as 1500 BCE to raise water and raise troops during the war.

Parts of a lever

There are three parts to all levers:

• Fulcrum – the point at which the lever rotates.
• Input force (also called the effort) – the force applied to the lever.
• Output force (also called the load) – the force applied by the lever to move the load.

The beam is simply a long plank. It may be wood, metal, or any durable material. The beam rests on a fulcrum (a point on the bar creating a pivot).

When you push down one end of a lever, you apply a force (input) to it. The lever pivots on the fulcrum and produces an output (lift a load) by exerting an output force on the load. A lever makes work easier by both increasing your input force and changing the direction of your input force.

Principal of Lever

A lever works by reducing the amount of force needed to move an object or lift a load. A lever does this by increasing the distance through which the force acts. Instead, they make the work easier by spreading out the effort over a longer distance.

It has been practically found that when two equal forces acting in opposite directions, i.e., clockwise and counterclockwise, are applied to a uniform lever at equal distances from the fulcrum, they counteract each other and establish a state of equilibrium in the lever.

The experiment has also shown that two unequal forces act in opposite directions. That will bring the magnitude of a force when the magnitude of one force. And its effort arm or lever arm is equal to the product of the magnitude of the other force and the effort arm.

In physics, the product of a force is called the moment of force by its effort; The general conclusion, known as the theory of moments, states that equilibrium is established when the sum of the moments of the forces acting in a counterclockwise direction is equal to the sum of the moments of the forces acting in a counterclockwise direction.

It is possible, as a result, to overcome a very large force at a large distance with a very small force at a large distance from the fulcrum. Archimedes is believed to have a lever in his brain, which gave him a standing place to move the world.

Still confused about the use of a lever and how it works? let’s break it down into pieces for a better understanding.

Types of Lever

There are three types of levers: first-class, second-class, and third-class. The difference between the three classes depends on where the force is, where the fulcrum is, and where the load is.

1. First Class Lever

First-class levers have the fulcrum between the force and the load. In using a screwdriver to lift the lid from a paint tin you are moving the effort over a greater distance than the load.

By having the fulcrum (the rim of the tin) close to the lid (the load) a larger force can be applied to the load to open the tin.

This means you are reducing the effort required, this is what first-class levers do best. Other examples of first-class levers are pliers, scissors, a crowbar, a claw hammer, a see-saw, and a weighing balance.

In summary, in a first-class lever, the effort (force) moves over a large distance to move the load a smaller distance, and the fulcrum is between the effort (force) and the load.

As the ratio of effort (force) arm length to load arm length increases the mechanical advantage of a first-class lever increases.

Archimedes referred to a first-class lever in his famous quote “Give me one firm spot on which to rest (a fulcrum) and I will move the Earth”

Example:

• Our hand pushing an object or seesaws, crowbars.
• Using scissors represents the use of two first-class levers.
• A wheel and axle is also an example.
• Pulling a nail out of a wooden plank also represents a first-class lever.

2. Second Class Lever

In second-class levers, the load is between the effort (force) and the fulcrum. A common example is a wheelbarrow where the effort moves a large distance to lift a heavy load, with the axle and wheel as the fulcrum.

In a second-class lever, the effort moves over a large distance to raise the load a small distance. As the ratio of effort (force) arm length to load arm length increases, the mechanical advantage of a second-class lever increases.

In a wheelbarrow, the closer the load is to the wheel, the greater the mechanical advantage. Nutcrackers are also an example of a second-class lever.

Example:

• Wheelbarrow
• Staplers
• Doors or gates
• Bottle openers
• Nutcracker
• Nail clippers

3. Third Class Lever

With third-class levers, the effort is between the load and the fulcrum, for example in barbecue tongs. Other examples of third-class levers are a broom, a fishing rod, and a woomera.

In a third-class lever, the load moves further than the effort (force) and the mechanical advantage is low, which is why it’s difficult to apply great force to the load. This can be an advantage by not squashing sausages on the barbecue!

When you lift a load using your forearm you are using a third-class lever. Your biceps muscles are attached to the forearm just in front of the elbow. The load is on the hand, and the effort is between the fulcrum (elbow) and the load.

Example:

• Fishing rod
• A broom
• A baseball bat
• A bow and arrow
• Human jaw

Uses of Lever

A lever usually is used to move or lift objects. Sometimes it is used to push against objects, but not move them. Levers can be used to exert a large force over a small distance at one end by exerting only a small force over a greater distance at the other.

Uses of Lever:

• Levers make it easy to lift heavy materials, remove tight objects, and cut objects.
• Hammer claws are common levers that help you remove nails embedded in wood or other hard surfaces.
• Wheel bars are helpful every day because they allow you to transport loads that are too heavy or heavy.
• Tweezers and tweezers are examples of levers that make it easy to lift or remove items, even if the items are not heavy.
• Scissors are an example of a lever that uses force to cut or separate material.

FAQs.