levo

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.

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Key term

What is a lever?

Key term

What is meant by a force multiplier?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is a lever?

    Model answer

    A rigid bar that turns about a pivot and transmits the turning effect of a force.

  2. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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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