Machines, Types of Simple machines & Classes Of Levers

Currently the use of Man power for various activities are declining everyday. This is due to the advancement of Technology. In many business places, the use of robot to pack, off load are becoming common. Instead of manual counting of money, lately we have counting machines at the teller. So, there is no need for the Bank to employ many people to work there. That brought about laying off many workers from Job Market. There are many machines of different kinds with different purposes that have been made to help work to be done easily.

In simple terms, A machine is any device which make work to be done easily and faster. The term device is any tool or object intended made to serve a purpose. For instance, a pen 🖊️🖋️ is intended made for writing. Apart from writing pen can't be used for weeding or digging. Likewise, a matchet or cutlass is used for weeding and hence it can't be used for writing.

Complex machines are machines which are made up of two or more movable parts. Hence Complex machines may contain two or more of simple machines.

Simple Machines are machines which are very simple with mostly one movable part or with few movable parts. There so many types of simple machines. Some of these simple machines are;

A lever is a rigid bar or beam which consist of a pivot or fulcrum rotating at a fixed point and two other parts called effort and load. A lever helps us to do work very easily and faster than using our hand. Examples of levers are a pair of scissors, crow bar, hammer, pincers, shears a pair secateurs, wheel barrows, bottle openers, ladder, see-saw, sugar tongs, knife etc.

Pivot or fulcrum is the part of a lever which rotate at a fixed point. without it the lever can't move. Having that movable part helps the lever to carry out work easily. An example of fulcrum of a pair of scissors ✂️ is the middle part which always rotate when cutting clothes or barbering ones hair. The pivot of a wheel barrow is on the middle of the rim of the tyre which help it to move. Without is the tyre can't move.

The effort of a lever is the part where the force is applied to overcome the load. For instance, the handle of a pair of scissors is its effort since that is the part where the force is applied before the blade is able to cut the hairs or clothes when tailors of seamstresses are using. The 2 handles of a pair of scissors are the effort where the force is applied to move the heavy load in the bucket of the wheel barrow. The handle of bottle opener and hammer also have their effort at their handles when it's held and lifted up they are able to let work to be done easily and faster.

The load is the weight to overcome when a force is applied. In wheel barrows, the load is the bucket container where heavy materials are put, the load of a pair of scissors is the 2 blades that are used for cutting objects, the load of a hammer 🔨 is the round pointed metal part which is used to hit a nail. The pivot and the load of bottle opener are very closed.

Depending on the location of the pivot, effort and load, levers are classified into first class, second class and third class levers. The following are the classes of levers:

In the first class levers, the fulcrum or pivot is between the load and the effort. Examples of first class levers are a pair of scissors, hammer, crow bar and sew-see. For example in first class levers like a pair of scissors and see-saw they are clearly seen that the pivots are in the middle where there are 2 extreme points; that's load and effort.

In the second class lever, the load is between the effort and pivot or fulcrum. Examples of second class levers are: wheel barrow, bottle opener and nutcracker. All the above examples have their loads located at the middle of the levers.

In the third class levers the effort is located at the middle of the fulcrum and the load. Examples are cutlass, human arms, fishing rod, tweezers, shovel etc. That explains the reason why the middle of portion of cutlass break very easily than the 2 ends being breaking; all the effort is at the middle of the cutlass, so much pressure is exerted to execute work and hence it breaks.

The concept of machines is very broad so in my next lesson of machines we are going to discuss the rest of simple machines are listed. Thanks for your attention!