Quotation from: General Science

Written by: Bertha M. Clark


153. Applications of the Lever. By means of a lever, a 600-pound
bowlder can be easily pried out of the ground. Let the lever, any
strong metal bar, be supported on a stone which serves as fulcrum;
then if a man exerts his force at the end of the rod somewhat as in
Figure 91 (p. 154), the force arm will be the distance from the stone
or fulcrum to the end of the bar, and the weight arm will be the
distance from the fulcrum to the bowlder itself. The man pushes down
with a force of 100 pounds, but with that amount succeeds in prying up
the 600-pound bowlder. If, however, you look carefully, you will see
that the force arm is 6 times as long as the weight arm, so that the
smaller force is compensated for by the greater distance through which
it acts.

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