OCR GCSE Physics A J249
Electricity
Energy
Forces
Global Challenges
Magnetism and Magnetic Fields
Matter
Radioactivity
Waves in Matter
Forces
Levers and gears
- 2 things to know
- Paper 3
Overview
What a lever and a force multiplier are, how a lever, a long spanner and a crowbar multiply force, where the pivot, load and effort sit in a wheelbarrow, and what gears do.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What is meant by a force multiplier?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is a lever?
Model answer
A rigid bar that turns about a pivot and transmits the turning effect of a force.
- 2
What is meant by a force multiplier?
Model answer
A device that produces an output force larger than the force put into it.
- 3
Explain how a lever acts as a force multiplier.
Model answer
The effort is applied far from the pivot while the load sits close to it, so a small effort at a large distance produces the same moment as a much larger force acting over the short distance.
- 4
Explain why a nut is easier to undo with a long-handled spanner than with a short one.
Model answer
The force acts at a greater distance from the pivot, so the same effort produces a larger moment.
- 5
A crowbar is used so that an effort of 50 N acts 1.2 m from the pivot while the load is 0.20 m from the pivot on the other side. Calculate the force exerted on the load.
Model answer
300 N, because 50 N × 1.2 m = 60 N·m and 60 N·m ÷ 0.20 m = 300 N.
- 6
In a wheelbarrow, where are the pivot, the load and the effort?
Model answer
The wheel is the pivot, the load sits in the barrow close to the wheel, and the effort is applied at the far end of the handles.
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