Lever

• A lever is a stiff bar that turns around a fulcrum.
• Load, effort, and fulcrum — three key parts.
• Examples: see-saw, bottle opener, scissors.
• Simple machines make work easier — Looking Around 3 tools theme.

Level 1 — Core idea

Verbal: Push down on one side of a see-saw — the other side goes up with your friend (load).

Symbolic: Fulcrum (F) + Effort (E) + Load (L) on a straight bar.

Visual: Draw see-saw: triangle fulcrum in middle; you on one end, friend on other.

Level 2 — Going deeper

Changing where the fulcrum sits changes how hard you push — closer fulcrum to load means less effort for heavy load.

NCERT anchor

NCERT Looking Around 3, Chapter 14 (The Story of Food) and playground activities use see-saws. Identify fulcrum as the centre pivot.

On a see-saw, where is the fulcrum?

Step 1 — See-saw rotates around centre support
Step 2 — That pivot = **fulcrum**
Step 3 — You push (effort); friend is load ✓

Bottle opener — identify lever parts.

Step 1 — Metal cap edge = **fulcrum**
Step 2 — Hand push = **effort**
Step 3 — Cap = **load** lifted off

• Name the three parts of a lever.
• Give one lever example from home.
• Where is fulcrum on scissors?
• Stretch: Heavy friend on see-saw — sit closer or farther from fulcrum to balance?

Revision tip: Sketch any lever with labels E, L, F before answering.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Lever.