Wednesday, April 25, 2012

What happens when the fulcrum is close to the load?

Hello!


A fulcrum and a load are about a lever, which is a firm long object used to lift things. It has a support called fulcrum, and its parts between a fulcrum and endings are called lever's arms.


A lever transmits a force applied to one of its ends to another end. The direction of force is inverted (one pushes arm down to lift a load). The magnitude of a force changes with the ratio of arms' lengths: longer arm means smaller force. In other words,


The gain in force has its price: the same loss in distance. Mechanical work remains the same, if we ignore friction.


Thus, when the fulcrum is close to the load, one obtains great gain in force (can lift heavy load with smaller force) and equivalent loss in distance.
Also, such a construction requires very strong lever and its support.

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