Lever

This a short video on simple experiments on levers.

The aim of this activities is to promote the thinking scientifically skills of deducing (deduction), recording results, and predicting (prediction)

The objective of the experiments is to help children 'deduce' the rule or 'law' of the lever. If we imagine that using levers is a 'game' (the materials being 'toys').

This begins with 'free-play'.

Next, set up the beam to be balanced without any hanging weights

Then add weights (equal) and balance the beam. Record the number of weights and the distance from the weights to the 'fulchrum'.

The children should repeat this for a number of different combinations of weights, but after a few 'experiments', the children should be prompted for predictions: thus promoting the thinking scientifically skill of 'predicting'. If I put a 20g weight 10 holes from the fulchrum, where will I place a 30g weight...?

The rule at work, that the children will hopefully deduce (you don't tell them until you see that they are approaching the result themselves) is that the product of weight and distance on one side is equal to the product of weight and distance on the other side.

Note: we are relating weight to be a force, but using grams or an informal unit. We could convert it into Newtons.

Here are the sample results from the video:

Left Hand Side Right Hand Side
Distance Force Distance Force
6 10 6 10
5 20 10 10
10 20 7 30
10 20 5 40


Differentiation: Some children may not be able to detect any pattern in the results
Integration:
Mathematics (engineering and technology)
You could also incorporate a design and make putting these materials together with other materials.

Resources:
Beams (from gears set: see gears video); paperclips bent into hooks, 'bulldog' clips, weights (formal: 'slotted masses'; or informal: bolt-nuts hung on paperclip hooks)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• lever