Examples of Levers
There are many levers that we use; at home, at school,
at the park, at work. Can you think of some examples?
Take a look…
Many of the following levers have been combined with
another simple machine to make a useful tool or piece
of equipment.
An axe’s handle is a lever.
The cutting part is a wedge!
A baseball bat is a lever. The
effort is created when you
hold the bat (and eventually
swing it). The fulcrum is at
the tip of the handle. Using
your wrists, you can pivot and swing the bat. The load
occurs at the tip of the bat where it meets the ball.
Can you show where the effort, load and fulcrum are?
A tennis racket is
much like a
baseball bat.
Where are the
effort, load and
fulcrum?nni
How did you do?et
Boat oars
are
levers.
is much
Can openers are a
combination of a lever
and a wedge and a wheel
and a crank!
Can or bottle
openers are
levers. The
sharp end is
used to open
cans, and the
rounded end is
used to take the
cap off the
bottle!
li
A teeter totter is a lever. It rests on a support, (or
pivot point) which is the fulcrum. The person on the
ground (Linus) is the load; ihe needs to be lifted up.
To get him up into the air, Charlie Brown will exert an
effort or force downward. Once Linus is up in the air,
Charlie Brown becomes the load and it’s then Linus’
turn to exert an effort or force. This constant
imbalance is what all the fun is about!mbala
A balance scale
uses the same
principle or idea as
the teeter totter.
The arm holding
each of the
weighing platforms
(bowl-shaped
parts) is the
lever.about! A
A crow bar can be
handy to lift
things, like this
piece of flooring
or a heavy piece
of concrete.
he effort, load an
A hammer is also a lever.
um?
He shoots! He
scores! What a
lever! Yes! A hockey
stick is a lever. In fact,
it’s a special lever that
allows the player to
change the amount of
effort and the direction of the load! When you hold the
stick, you are preparing for the effort. The top of the handle
is the fulcrum. And of course, the blade of the stick is the
load…the part of the stick that is designed to touch the puck!
A stapler is a lever. It has an important job to do at
the office or at school.
Can you guess where the fulcrum, effort and load
are?
Check the next page for the answers.
Check out these other levers!
A broom is a lever.
Scissors are
levers, and they’re
also a wedge.
Pliers are
another
example of a
lever.
The final example of a lever
is a nut-cracker. Careful!
Don’t get your fingers
crushed!