Class 1: A crow bar acting on a nail stuck in wood is just one of the many examples of a Class One Lever. The effort arm is where one would push on the crow bar to pry the nail out. The fulcrum is the section of the crow bar touching the wood, acting as a support (pivot point). The load arm is the section of the crow bar touching the nail, and pulling it out.
A Class One Lever has the fulcrum point positioned in the center, between the load arm and the effort arm. In addition, the effort arm and load arm are always opposite of each other when it is a Class One Lever. *This is why the Mechanical Advantage of a Class One Lever can be "more than 1, equal to 1, or less than 1".
Some examples of Class One Levers are:
scissors
see-saw
shoe horn
Class 2:
Lifting a wheelbarrow to help carry a heavy load would be one of the many examples of a Class TwoLever. For this type of lever, the fulcrum is the wheel because it pivots, the output force would be the load that the wheelbarrow is carrying, and the effort arm would be the handle that causes the wheelbarrow to move.
In a second class lever, the fulcrum point is always on the end as a pivot point, the load arm in the middle, and the effort arm on the farthest side of the fulcrum . In addition, both arms are moving in the same direction (as seen in example below). This is why the Mechanical Advantage of a Class Two Lever is "more than 1".
Some examples of Class Two Levers are:
wrench
bottle opener
wheelbarrow
Class 3: Using a baseball bat to hit a ball is a very common example of a Class Three Lever. When holding the handle of the bat, the fulcrum point would be on the end of the bat, farthest from the Load Arm, because this is where the bat pivots. The effort arm, or input force, is in the middle (or sometimes closer to the fulcrum) and the load arm, or output force, is at the end of the bat where it connects with the ball. This is why the Mechanical Advantage of a Class Three Lever is "less than 1".
The use of the third class lever is not to have a greater Mechanical Advantage. It is useful when you want distance and speed. Swinging a bat is just an example of a third class lever creating speed.
*refer to Mechanical Advantage page for better understanding
(simple video on Classes of Levers)
Class 1:
A crow bar acting on a nail stuck in wood is just one of the many examples of a Class One Lever. The effort arm is where one would push on the crow bar to pry the nail out. The fulcrum is the section of the crow bar touching the wood, acting as a support (pivot point). The load arm is the section of the crow bar touching the nail, and pulling it out.
A Class One Lever has the fulcrum point positioned in the center, between the load arm and the effort arm. In addition, the effort arm and load arm are always opposite of each other when it is a Class One Lever. *This is why the Mechanical Advantage of a Class One Lever can be "more than 1, equal to 1, or less than 1".
Some examples of Class One Levers are:
Class 2:
Lifting a wheelbarrow to help carry a heavy load would be one of the many examples of a Class Two Lever. For this type of lever, the fulcrum is the wheel because it pivots, the output force would be the load that the wheelbarrow is carrying, and the effort arm would be the handle that causes the wheelbarrow to move.
In a second class lever, the fulcrum point is always on the end as a pivot point, the load arm in the middle, and the effort arm on the farthest side of the fulcrum . In addition, both arms are moving in the same direction (as seen in example below). This is why the Mechanical Advantage of a Class Two Lever is "more than 1".
Some examples of Class Two Levers are:
Class 3:
Using a baseball bat to hit a ball is a very common example of a Class Three Lever. When holding the handle of the bat, the fulcrum point would be on the end of the bat, farthest from the Load Arm, because this is where the bat pivots. The effort arm, or input force, is in the middle (or sometimes closer to the fulcrum) and the load arm, or output force, is at the end of the bat where it connects with the ball. This is why the Mechanical Advantage of a Class Three Lever is "less than 1".
The use of the third class lever is not to have a greater Mechanical Advantage. It is useful when you want distance and speed. Swinging a bat is just an example of a third class lever creating speed.
Some examples of a Class Three Lever are: