Levers (Oxford AQA IGCSE Physics)

Levers

• Levers increase the size of a force acting on an object to make the object turn more easily

• Levers can be described as force multipliers

• To make a lever work better:

  • Increase the size of the force applied

  • Increase the distance of the force from the pivot

A lever used to open a bottle

• A bottle opener uses a lever to amplify the small upward force applied by the person to create a larger upward force on the bottle top

  • The large arrow shows the force required to remove the bottle top at that point

  • The smaller force shows the force required at a greater distance

  • The bottle opener (lever) makes use of moments to act as a force multiplier

• A crowbar is also a type of lever used to exert a large force on a narrow opening

• This helps lift heavy objects

  • The small force downwards applied by a person is far away from the pivot

  • This creates a large force upwards on the heavy object, making it easier to lift

A crowbar used to lift a rock