Using levers

Using levers

Pencil and paper
Overview
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses

Information
Levers are simple machines used to increase force. There are many types of levers around us. The use of levers has been dated back to prehistoric times when people discovered that placing a rock under the end of a strong stick or piece of wood made it a lot easier to lift heavy objects. Each of the objects below is an example of a lever.

Below are three levers. Your task is to label the numbered parts of each of the levers with the following:

  • effort
  • load
  • pivot

 

Here is an example of a lever that has been labelled for you.

 
a) b)
 

c) A seesaw with the boy going down. 

 

Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Science, Knowledge, Physical World
Keywords: 
forces, levers, simple machines
Description of task: 
Students are given some information about simple machines, and are asked to label the effort, load, and pivot on three examples of simple machines.
Making Better Sense: 
Levers
Answers/responses: 
    Y8 (11/2001)
a)
b)
c)
Wheelbarrow
Pliers
seesaw
 (i) effort
(i) load
(i) load		 (ii) load
(ii) pivot
(ii) effort		 (iii) pivot
(iii) effort
(iii) pivot		 very easy
easy
moderate