Lift the Load Gr3

8/11/2019 Lift the Load Gr3

1/6Lets Go! Elementary Science 19 - 1

Activity

19Lift the Load!

The Greek philosopher Archimedes said, "Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand

and I can move the world." What did he mean by this? In this activity, you will get achance to investigate how levers work.

OBJEC"ES

In this activity, you will

ake a lever.

easure the amount o! !orce needed to li!t up a book when applying a !orce at

di!!erent positions on the lever.

#AE$ALS

computer with ogger ite so!tware installed

Go#ink inter!ace

$ernier %ual&'ange (orce )ensor

meter stick

heavy book

!ulcrum

tape

loop o! string

%$OCE&'$E

%art Lever (ith )*lcr*m at +, cm

*. Get the (orce )ensor ready to collect data.

a. ake sure the (orce )ensor is connected to the Go#ink and that the Go#ink is

connected to the computer.

b. )et the switch on the (orce )ensor to the +& - / setting.

0. )tart ogger ite on your computer.


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19 - + Lets Go! Elementary Science

Activity 19

1. 2pen the !ile !or this activity by doing the !ollowing3

a. 4lick the 2pen button, .

b. 2pen the !older called 56lementary )cience.7

c. 2pen the !ile called 5*8 i!t the oad.7

9. )et up the !irst lever by doing the !ollowing steps. ook at the drawing below to help

you set everything up in the right way.

a. Tape your !ulcrum near the edge o! the table or desk so that it cannot move.

b. :lace the lever so that the 0 cm mark is on the !ulcrum, leaving the longer end

sticking out over the side o! the table.

c. :ut the book you are going to li!t at the - cm mark so that ;ust the edge o! the

book rests on the meter stick and the rest o! the book is on the table.

-. %o the !ollowing things to


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Lift the Load!

. %i!!erent parts o! a lever system have di!!erent names. 'ead the !ollowing steps to

learn about the di!!erent parts o! the lever you have built.

a. The side o! the lever where the book is placed is called the resistance arm. (or

lever you have built, the resistance arm is 0 cm.

b. The side o! the lever where the push or pull happens is called the e!!ort arm. To

!ind the length o! the e!!ort arm, !ind the di!!erence between where the (orce

)ensor is attached and the !ulcrum. )ince the loop o! string is holding the (orce

)ensor at 1 cm and the !ulcrum is at 0 cm, the length o! the e!!ort arm is * cm.

@. 4ollect data by doing the !ollowing3

a. 4lick to start data collection.

b. =olding the (orce )ensor, slowly pull down until the lever is hori


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19 - / Lets Go! Elementary Science

Activity 19

d. 'ecord your observations about how much e!!ort it took to pull the lever down.

*. 'epeat )tep 8, moving the string * cm each time, until you reach the cm mark.

6ach time you move the string, enter the new e!!ort arm length and record your

observations.

**. When you are done collecting data, click to end data collection and then the

)tore button, , to store your data.

*0. When you have stored your data, click the 6Bamine button, , and record the applied

!orce !or each o! the e!!ort arm distances in Table *, below. When you are done, close

the 6Bamine boB by clicking the C in the corner o! the boB.

a.le 1 )*lcr*m at +, cm

%osition of)orce Sensor

Effort armlen0th

Alied force

, cm 1, cm 2

/, cm +, cm 2

3, cm , cm 2

4, cm /, cm 2

5, cm 3, cm 2

%art Lever (ith )*lcr*m at , cm

*1. ove the meter stick so the !ulcrum is at the 1 cm point. In this position, the

resistance arm is 1 cm. Deep the book in the same position as be!ore.

6ey 7*estion

=ow will having a longer resistance arm a!!ect how hard you must pull to pick up the

book?

%rediction

4lick on the :rediction button, , and draw what you think will happen now that the

!ulcrum is at 1 cm.

*9. 4ollect data.


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19 - 3

Lift the Load!

a. 4lick to start data collection.

b. ove the string and (orce )ensor to the 9 cm mark.

c. =olding the (orce )ensor, slowly pull down on the sensor until the lever is

hori


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19 - 4 Lets Go! Elementary Science

Activity 19

8, cm 3, cm 2

A2AL:E O'$ &AA

*. What did you notice about how hard you had to pull as the e!!ort arm became longer

and longer?

0. =ow did your prediction match what happened when the resistance arm moved !rom

the 0 cm mark to 1 cm?

1. %o you think it would be possible to make a lever that would allow you to be able to

pick up a car? %escribe the e!!ort arm and resistance arm you might need to do it.

9. Go back to the introduction and look at the Huote by Archimedes. =ow did Archimedes

!eel about the amount o! help this simple machine could o!!er humans?

Good ;ob##

Documents

Lift the Load Gr3