Wooden building blocks or other objects (these act on the tray with force F)įigure 1: For the game, each team requires a plastic tray, cupboard handle and wooden building blocks.īefore your students go head-to-head in the game, they can apply their knowledge of levers to answer the following questions:.Cupboard handle or object with flat base and spherical top (pivot).A tray (beam) – we used a plastic tray approximately 45 x 30 cm.Once students understand the physical principles behind the lever, they can consider how to use physics to win the game. When you push at the hinge side of the door, you must apply more force because the distance is smaller.Ī moment can be calculated using the following equation:ĭ = perpendicular distance between the pivot and the point where the force is applied (m) The balancing game This explains why less force is needed to open a door by pushing at the side furthest from the hinge than at the side closest to the hinge. Moments reduce the effort needed to move the load by increasing the distance over which it is acting. When you use a lever, you apply a turning force (the moment) around the pivot to move the load. Force – the effort or input needed to move the beam and the load.Load – the item or object being moved or lifted on the beam.Beam – a wooden plank or solid rod that rests on the pivot.Pivot – the point around which something turns.There are four basic elements to consider when using a lever: Prior to the activity, introduce your students to the physical principles behind the lever. The activity, including time for explanations and questions, will take around 1.5 hours.ĭmitry Guzhanin/ Physical principles of the lever They can understand the moment of a force and the balance law of a lever ( Haverlíková, 2011).Ĭompetitive students will strive to understand the basic principles so they can beat their opponents, and a practical game will enrich the learning process and contribute to a creative atmosphere in the classroom. By competing to keep the tray level, students learn about the physics of levers – simple machines that make work easier by reducing the force needed to move a load. In this easy game, pairs of students aged 11–19 take it in turns to add wooden blocks or objects to a tray balanced on a pivot. Yet, the principle of levers is sometimes so natural to us that we do not pay any attention to how it actually works. We encounter various types of lever in our everyday lives: opening a drink with a bottle opener, cutting paper with scissors, taking the lid off a paint pot using a screwdriver, and – the simplest of all – playing on a seesaw in the park. Author(s): Mária Bilišňanská, Marián KirešĬan you stop the tray from tipping? Learn about the law of the lever to beat your opponent in this simple game.
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