Machines

A machine is any device which assists us in doing work more conveniently or efficiently by enabling a force
called the EFFORT acting at one point to overcome another force called the LOAD acting at some other point.

The use of a machine does not reduce the overall work that is needed for the job but makes it more convenient
to get it done.

Machines make work easier by:

 Reducing the effort force on the part of the user that is needed to move the object.
 Increasing the distance the load has to move without increasing the effort needed.

A simple machine is a device which has few or no moving parts, and needs only the application of a single force
to get work done. Two or more simple machines can be combined to form a complex machine. Some examples
of simple machines are levers and pulleys.

Levers

A lever is a simple machine that is made up of a rigid object such as a rod, bar or plank that is supported at a
fixed point of station called a pivot or fulcrum. All levers have three things in common:

1. Pivot or fulcrum- this is the fixed point at which the lever turns or pivots.
2. Load- this is the object that is being moved by the machine.
3. Effort- this is the force applied to make the lever work.

Classes of Levers

There are three different classes of levers. Levers are classified according to the relative positions of the
fulcrum, effort and load. The different classes of levers are:

1. First class levers- In a first class lever the fulcrum (F) is between the effort (E) and the load (L).
Examples of first class levers are the claw hammer, lid opener, pliers and scissors.

2. Second class levers- In a second class lever the load (L) is between the effort (E) and the fulcrum (F).
Examples of second class levers include the bottle opener, nut cracker and wheel borrow. The second
class levers allow a large load to be lifted by a smaller effort.
 3. Third class levers- In a third class lever the effort is in the middle with load (L) and the fulcrum (F) at
opposite ends of the lever. A third class lever allows a small load to be lifted by a larger effort but the
load will move through a larger distance than the effort. Examples of third class levers are tongs and
staples.

For a given moment, the greater the perpendicular distances from the pivot to the force, the smaller is the force.
In first and second class levers, the distance through which the effort moves is greater than the distance through
which the loads moves and so the force of the effort is less than the force of the load. For this reason, these
devices are known as force multipliers.