Types of levers
Last updated on April 16th, 2021 at 10:04 am
Types of levers – Levers are classified according to the relative positions of fulcrum, load, and effort points in the lever body. We will discuss different types of levers with examples in this post. So, let’s start.
How many types of levers are available?
On the basis of the location of fulcrum, load, and effort in the lever body, levers are of 3 types. These types of levers are First Class lever or class I lever, Second Class lever or class II lever, and Third Class lever or class III lever.
What are the 3 types of levers?
The three types of levers are as follows:
(1) First Class lever or class I lever,
(2) Second Class lever or class II lever, and
(3) Third Class lever or class III lever.
These types are based on the relative position of the fulcrum, load, and effort in the lever body.
What is the first class lever or class I lever?
The lever which has a Fulcrum or pivot point in between the Load and Effort is called first class lever.
Give examples of first class lever
Seesaw is an example of first class lever where the pivot(fulcrum) is in the middle.
Other examples of class I lever: a pair of scissors, beam of physical balance, claw hammer, crowbar, pair of pliers
What is the second class lever or class II lever?
The lever which has a Load in between the Fulcrum(pivot) and Effort is called second class lever.
Give examples of second class lever.
An example of second class lever is nutcracker where the nut (load here) is in the middle.
Other examples of class II lever: a bottle opener, a wheelbarrow, a bar used to lift a load
What is the third class lever or class III lever?
The lever which has Effort in between the Fulcrum(pivot) and Load is called third class lever.
Give examples of third class lever.
Examples of third class lever include tweezers where effort is applied in the middle.
Other examples of class III lever: a fishing rod, sugar tongs, knife, fire tongs
Conclusion – types of levers
This is a quick reference to types of levers. We will add more details to this topic in the near future.
Please note that we call the first-class lever as class one lever also.
Similarly, we know Second class lever and third class levers as class two lever and class three lever respectively.
