Levers, Inclined Planes & Wedges
📋 What it is
A lever pivots to multiply force; a ramp trades distance for easier lifting; a wedge splits things apart.
🗣️ Coach says
Three classic machines. A LEVER pivots on a point (fulcrum) — a longer effort arm multiplies your force (a seesaw, a crowbar). An INCLINED PLANE (ramp) lets you raise a load with less force over more distance. A WEDGE is like a moving ramp that pushes things apart (an axe, a knife). Small forces, big results.
🧠 Memory hook
Lever = pivot multiplies force · ramp = easier lift over distance · wedge = moving ramp that splits.
😂 Giggle
The inclined plane never gets stressed — it just takes things at an angle.
😲 Whoa!
Archimedes said "give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I could move the Earth" — mathematically true, though the lever would need to be unimaginably long.
✅ Quick check: On a lever, what is the "fulcrum"?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
The fixed pivot point the lever turns on — a longer arm from it multiplies your force.
The fulcrum is the pivot; arm length sets the advantage.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Balance a ruler on a pencil (fulcrum) and lift a heavier object on the short side by pressing the long side.