Levers are classified into three types: first class, second class, or third class. Their class is identified by the location of the load, the force moving the load, and the fulcrum. In this activity, you will learn about the types of levers and then use your body to make each type.


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Here’s what you need


    • 1 body


Download Student Worksheet & Exercises


Here’s what you do


  1. In a first class lever, the fulcrum is in the middle. The load and effort are on opposite sides with the fulcrum between them. A familiar example of a first class lever is a see saw.
  2. A second class lever has the fulcrum on one end, the load in the middle, and the force on the end opposite the fulcrum. A wheelbarrow is a good example of a second class lever.
  3. Lastly, a third class lever has a fulcrum on one end and the load on the opposite end. The force is applied in the middle in this type of lever. A golf club is an example of a third class lever.
  4. Use the photos to identify the levers of each type in your body.

What’s going on?


Only read further if you have had an opportunity to identify the levers in the pictures. Spoilers below!


Your head moving up and down on your spine is an example of a first class lever. Your neck joint in the middle is the fulcrum, with load and effort on either side. In this example, load and effort switch depending on whether you are moving your head up or down.


Standing on tiptoe is an example of a second class lever where your toes are the fulcrum. The effort, or force, is in your heels – they are lifting your body up. And the resistance is located between your toes and heels.


This leaves us with bicep curls, which are an example of a third class lever. Your elbow serves as the fulcrum, the bicep is the force, and the weight in your hand on the end is the load.


Just for fun, did you know your knee is the largest joint in your whole body? It connects your femur, the largest bone, to the bones of your lower leg. Your smallest joints are the anvil, hammer, and stirrup in your inner ear.


Exercises


  1. Draw a diagram of a first-class lever. Where in your body is this type of lever?
  2. Draw a diagram of a third-class lever. Where will you find this?
  3. Draw a diagram of a second-class lever. Can you give an example of this type of lever in the real world?

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Comments

6 Responses to “Human Levers”

  1. Ues, you’ve got it! It’s all a matter of where the load is and where the fulcrum is.

  2. bac051201 says:

    Would your fingers be a 3rd class lever since the load is on the tip sometimes or are they a 2nd class since sometimes it’s in the middle?

  3. Yes but you can improvise with what you have once you see what the experiment looks like. Feel free to make it work for you!

  4. Michelle Hitt says:

    On the worksheet it says we need
     can of soup
     meter stick
     rubber band
     lemon

  5. Nope… no mistake! If you have a body (and you do), then use it to follow along and identify the levers on the human skeleton. 🙂

  6. Michelle Raine says:

    I think there is a mistake with the experiment, it says you only require “1 body” for supplies???