Sara's Inclined Plane and Lever Page Levers Home | Levers | Inclined Planes | Practice Test | Bibliography Levers are one of the six simple machines that are used in everyday objects. They are classified in three different classes usually depending on where the fulcrum, the load, and the effort are placed.
Effort= input force Load= output force Class 1 Class 1 levers are easy to identify since the fulcrum or the pivot point is placed between the effort and load. To make the class 1 even more unique, it is also the only class of levers that has the load and the effort going in opposite ways.
ie: teetor-totter, scissors
Scissors are a very special case of class 1 levers because since there are two blades, there are two levers.
Class 2The characteristics of class 2 levers are that the fulcrum is at one end, the load is in the middle and the effort is placed at the other end. The input and output forces are both going in the same direction. ie: wheelbarrow, nail clippers
Class 3Class 3 levers have the effort in the middle with the load and fulcrum at either side. The input and output forces are going in the same direction. ie:fishing rod, tweezers
Ideal Mechanical AdvantageTo find the IMA of a lever, you have to divide the length of the input arm by the length of the output arm. The input arm's length is simply the distance between the fulcrum and the input force, in this case the effort. While the length of the output arm is the distance between the output force and the fulcrum. For levers the output force would be represented by the load.
Here is a short video to help understand the 3 classes of levers
Levers
Home | Levers | Inclined Planes | Practice Test | Bibliography
Levers are one of the six simple machines that are used in everyday objects. They are classified in three different classes usually depending on where the fulcrum, the load, and the effort are placed.
Effort= input force Load= output force
Class 1 Class 1 levers are easy to identify since the fulcrum or the pivot point is placed between the effort and load. To make the class 1 even more unique, it is also the only class of levers that has the load and the effort going in opposite ways.
ie: teetor-totter, scissors
Scissors are a very special case of class 1 levers because since there are two blades, there are two levers.
Class 2The characteristics of class 2 levers are that the fulcrum is at one end, the load is in the middle and the effort is placed at the other end. The input and output forces are both going in the same direction.
ie: wheelbarrow, nail clippers
Class 3Class 3 levers have the effort in the middle with the load and fulcrum at either side. The input and output forces are going in the same direction.
ie:fishing rod, tweezers
Ideal Mechanical AdvantageTo find the IMA of a lever, you have to divide the length of the input arm by the length of the output arm. The input arm's length is simply the distance between the fulcrum and the input force, in this case the effort. While the length of the output arm is the distance between the output force and the fulcrum. For levers the output force would be represented by the load.
Here is a short video to help understand the 3 classes of levers
Home | Levers | Inclined Planes | Practice Test | Bibliography