The Power of the Lever | Simple Machines Series Part 1 of 7

Could you lift a car with a seesaw?

It sounds impossible, but that’s the power of a lever. With a pivot (fulcrum) in the right place, you can lift things that would normally be far too heavy.

Of course, most mechanics don’t keep a seesaw in the garage — so they use a car jack instead, another clever type of simple machine doing the same job.

This post is Part 1 of our exclusive seven-part Simple Machines series — exploring the six basic mechanical ideas we use every day: the lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, wedge, and screw.

Simple machines are everywhere: the hidden helpers behind playground fun, kitchen gadgets, heavy lifting, and even sweeping the floor.

We’re starting with one of the most recognisable: the lever. Humans have used levers for thousands of years, from moving massive stones to opening tricky jars. Even though it’s simple, a lever makes life a whole lot easier by helping us lift, push, or cut with less effort.

Everyday Examples of Levers

Levers are everywhere once you know how to spot them:

• Seesaws at the playground — the classic lever!
• Scissors — each handle and blade is a lever working together.
• Wheelbarrows — the handles let you lift heavy loads more easily.
• Brooms — yes, even sweeping the floor uses lever action.

👉 Once you start looking, you’ll see levers everywhere!

The Three Classes of Levers

Did you know scientists actually group levers into three different types?

• First-class lever → fulcrum in the middle (like a seesaw or crowbar).
• Second-class lever → load in the middle (like a wheelbarrow or nutcracker).
• Third-class lever → effort in the middle (like a broom or tongs).

The three classes of levers, showing where the fulcrum, load, and effort are.

👩🏽🔬 Quick Science Link

A lever works by having a fulcrum (the pivot point) and two sides:

• Effort arm → where you push or pull.
• Load arm → the side that moves the object.

By changing where the fulcrum sits, you can make lifting heavy things much easier. That’s why:

• Ancient builders could move giant stones.
• You can still open a paint tin with a spoon today!

👉 This all links back to the science of forces: a lever proves that even a small push or pull can create a big change — that’s force in action!

🧪 Mini Activity: Lever Hunt

👉 Challenge your class to find 3 levers in the room.

Ask:

• What’s the fulcrum?
• Where’s the effort applied?
• What’s the load?

💡 Challenge your pupils: Can they sort their finds into first, second, or third class levers?

✨ Teacher Tip

This activity works brilliantly as a 5-minute starter. It gets pupils thinking about science in their everyday environment without needing any prep or equipment.

✂️ Happy lever hunting! Let your pupils show you just how much force is in action every day.

Explore More with Our Forces Series

✨ Want more simple machines learning? Explore our Forces — Second Level pack →

Part of the Simple Machines series →