A third class lever system has the applied force between the fulcrum and the load. Examples include tongs, tweezers, and the human arm. This arrangement allows for a greater range of motion and speed at the expense of mechanical advantage.
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A third-class lever is one of the three types of levers found in physics. In a third-class lever, the effort (or force) is applied between the fulcrum and the load. This type of lever is designed to increase speed and the range of motion rather than multiply force.
Examples of Third-Class Levers
Tweezers
Description: Tweezers are used to pick up small objects. They consist of two levers connected at one end where the effort is applied.
Why It’s a Third-Class Lever: The fulcrum is at the point where the tweezer arms are connected. The effort is applied in between by squeezing the arms together, and the load (the object being picked up) is at the end opposite the fulcrum.
Human arm
Description: The human arm acts as a third-class lever when, for example, you lift something in your hand.
Why It’s a Third-Class Lever: The elbow acts as the fulcrum, the biceps muscle applies the force somewhere between the elbow and the hand, and the load is in the hand.
Fishing Rod
Description: When casting a fishing line, a fishing rod uses a third-class leveraging system.
Why It’s a Third-Class Lever: The hand holding the end of the rod acts as the fulcrum, the opposite hand applies an effort force between the fulcrum and the end of the rod, and the load is at the tip where the hook and bait are.
Third-class levers are designed to provide a large range of motion and speed to the load, rather than a mechanical advantage in force. This helps in tasks where the rapid movement or a larger range of action is required without much concern for generating a lot of force.