Lever

noun

A stiff bar that pivots around a point. A lever lets you use a small push at one end to produce a big lift at the other — or the other way around, depending on where the pivot is. Crowbars, wheelbarrows, and your own forearm are all levers.

Mechanical & Power Engineering — Axel
Go Deeper For parents & teachers
A rigid bar that rotates around a fixed point — the fulcrum — enabling the amplification of force at the cost of distance, or vice versa. Levers are classified into three classes by the relative positions of fulcrum, load, and effort: first-class (seesaw, crowbar), second-class (wheelbarrow, nutcracker), and third-class (tweezers, fishing rod, human forearm). Like pulleys, they are among the six classical simple machines.

Appears In

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"Axel sat panting beside the emergency ratchet, one paw still locked around the lever. His shoulders burned. His ears rang. But the bridge was still standing."

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"Axel hauled the reserve strap through the guide wheel, locked it into the emergency ratchet, and threw his weight onto the lever. Once. Twice. Three times."

Fun Fact

Archimedes is said to have written: *Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth.* He was describing a lever.

See Also

Gear Pulley