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WHAT IS FULCRUM?

The point or support on which a lever turns. The position of the fulcrum, relative to the positions of the load and  effort, determines the type of lever.

top: first-class lever, with fulcrum between load and effort, as in a crowbar;

center: second-class lever, with load between fulcrum and effort, as in a wheelbarrow;

bottom: third-class lever, with effort between fulcrum and load, as in a person's forearm, where the fulcrum is the elbow and the load is something held in the hand.


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