Lots of Levers

The Lever is one of the six simple machines. It is indeed simple being just a straight rigid pole. Yet, it can still per- form useful work. A seesaw is an example of the simplest kind of lever. It consists of a long plank, which rests on a pivot in the mid- dle. If you sit on one end of the seesaw ,you exert a down- ward force,or effort on this end. The seesaw converts this effort into a force acting  upward at the other end of the plank. This upward force ca lift a friend sitting on that end. His or her weight from the load on the seesaw. In general: a lever rests on a pivot, also called a fulcrum. A force called the effort is applied at on point on the lever in order to overcome another force, the, load, at another. Usually, a lever in some way magnifies the effort to move a bigger load. The ratio of load to effort called the mechan- ical advantage.