What is the use of a lever if its mechanical advantage is more than 1, equal to 1 and less than 1?

Last updated on April 15th, 2021 at 02:22 pm

If the mechanical advantage of a lever is more than 1, a lever can act as a Force Multiplier. That means using that lever more load can be overcome by applying less amount of effort. Example, Crowbar, Bottle opener, nutcracker

If the mechanical advantage of a lever is less than 1, a lever can act as a speed Multiplier. That means using that lever more displacement of load is possible with less displacement of effort. Example, scissors with long blades, mopper

If the mechanical advantage of a lever is equal to 1, a lever can act as a direction changer of effort. That means using that lever the direction of the applied effort can be changed to make it more convenient. Example, single fixed pulley

Reading reference:

Types of levers

Mechanical Advantage