Page 25 - Making things move_ DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists

6 Making Things Move

FIGURE 1-3 Levers utilize mechanical advantage to balance forces.

Here are some other examples of levers:

• A crowbar is a first class lever in the same way as a hammer claw.
• Oars on a boat work as first class levers.

• If you’ve ever used a screwdriver
to pry the lid off a paint can, FIGURE 1-4 A hammer being used as a first
class lever
you were using the screwdriver
as a first class lever.
• A pair of scissors is like two
first class levers back to back.
Scissors designed to cut paper
don’t have much of a built-in
mechanical advantage, but
think of the long handles of
garden shears or bolt cutters.
The long handles make the
cutting force much higher—
that’s mechanical advantage
at work!