Lever Essay, Research Paper

A lever is a SIMPLE MACHINE used, in its most basic form, for magnifying the force that can be exerted on an object. An

early lever, also known as the shadow, was used in ancient Egypt. It consisted of a long bar pivoted near one end that enabled

a person pulling down on the long arm to raise a bucket of water, many times his or her own weight, attached to the short arm. The simplest lever is a crowbar, a long pole of wood or metal. One end of a crowbar is pried under the object to be lifted, and a solid block is slid under the bar, close to that end. The point, around which the bar turns, in this case the block is called a Fulcrum. Pushing down with a small force on the far end of the lever causes the bar to rotate on the fulcrum, exerting a much greater force at the short end. The distance that each end moves is proportional to the length of the bar from that end to the fulcrum.