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Ingenium Canada Science and Technology Museum

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Lever Balancing

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Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday
Address
1867 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON
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Browse all Visitor Information for Canada Science and Technology Museum
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Lever Balancing

Lever
Download PDF version

Chances are good that you’ve been on – or at least seen – a seesaw at the park before. How is it that it’s so easy to lift a friend into the air on one, even if they’re too heavy to lift alone? In this experiment, test out how levers work to make lifting a little bit easier.

What you need

  • Wooden paint stick, craft stick, or a sturdy ruler
  • Large binder clip
  • Tape
  • Various small objects (ex. Legos, erasers, etc.)

Make it

  1. Remove the silver hooks of the binder clips. Have an adult use pliers if necessary.
  2. Tape the binder clip securely to your surface. It should look like a triangle with the base taped down. This will act as the fulcrum, or the pivot point.
  3. Place the paint stick on top of the clip, so that the clip is in the center.

Test it 

Place objects on top of the lever on either side. Can you get it to balance? What happens if you move objects closer or further from the centre? What happens if you move the paint stick so that the marker isn’t in the middle anymore?

Explain it

Levers have been, throughout history, one of the most useful simple machines. A heavy object on one side of a lever can be easily lifted by pushing down on the other side, in comparison to simply picking it up on its own. The reason for this is that the long arms of a lever provide leverage to an object, meaning that it amplifies the force exerted on it. In fact, if you had a long enough lever, you could lift just about anything!

Observe it

Levers are found everywhere in our day to day life. When you use a pair of scissors, look closely at it: it’s just two levers joined together! When you push your fingers together, it causes the other end of the blade to move in the opposite direction. This is because the point where the two blades connect acts as a fulcrum.

Go further

Try using something else as the plank instead of a paint stick or ruler. You could try a plank of wood, a book… anything you can find! How does the length of your plank impact the functioning of the lever?

lever materials
lever step 2
lever step 3
lever testing

Program Details

SCITECH
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Duration
30 minutes
Difficulty Level:
Easy
Program Location
Online
  • View all programs at the Canada Science and Technology Museum
  • View other programs related to Sciences

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About Canada Science and Technology Museum

Canada Science and Technology Museum
The Canada Science and Technology Museum tells Canada's innovation story in an immersive, educational, and fun way.
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Contact Us

Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St Laurent Blvd
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
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  • Plan Your Visit
    • Health and Safety
    • Hours
    • Admission
    • Location and Directions
    • Accessibility
    • Browse All Visitor Information
    • Buy Tickets
    • Online Resources for Science at Home
    • About the Museum
  • What's On at the Museum
    • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Spaces and Studios
  • Bookings and Rentals
    • School Programs
    • Birthday Parties
    • Summer Camps
    • Venue Rentals
    • Travelling Exhibitions
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Group Visits
  • Educational Programs
    • School Programs
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Program Location
      • At the Museum
      • At Your School
      • Online
      • Browse all Educational Programs
    • Popular Links
      • 3D Educational Resources
      • Digital Learning Kits
      • Games and Apps
      • Online Resources for Science at Home
      • Tell Me About
      • Try This Out
  • Collection and Research
    • Research Institute
    • Research Projects
    • Collection Resources
      • Ingenium Collection
      • Collection Highlights
      • Conservation and Collection Services
    • Library and Archives
      • Library and Archives Services
      • Library Catalogue
      • Digital Archives
    • Open Access
      • Ingenium APIs
      • Open Data
      • Open Documents
  • Projects and Initiatives
    • Ingenium Channel
    • Curiosity on Stage
    • Women in STEM
    • Innovation Storybook
    • Species at Risk in Canada
    • Climate Science