Year 10 - Physical education
Levers, mechanical advantage and disadvantage
Movement analysis and basic biomechanics
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit will explore basic principles of movement and their effect on sporting performance to include the classification of levers, planes of movement and axis of rotation. This understanding enables pupils to maximise efficiency of movement or generate more power.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to draw and label the different components of a lever system and describe mechanical advantage and disadvantage.
Key Notes
- In our bodies, levers are made from bones, joints and muscles working together.
- A lever consists of a fulcrum (joint), the effort (muscle creating the movement) and the load (weight or resistance).
- There are three lever systems in the human body.
- A lever can operate with both mechanical advanatge or mechanical disadvantage,
Vocabulary To Learn
- lever: a lever arm (bone) that rotates or pivots around a fixed point (fulcrum) when a force (effort) is applied to move a resistance (load)
- fulcrum: the fixed point around which a lever pivots or rotates
- effort: the force applied to a lever to move a load
- load: the resistance that a lever is designed to move
- mechanical advantage: 2nd class levers allow a large load to be moved with a relatively small amount of muscular effort
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- When drawing levers, the body part needs to be included.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
In our bodies, levers are made from bones, joints and muscles working together. A lever consists of a fulcrum (joint), the effort (muscle creating the movement) and the load (weight or resistance).
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'lever'
a lever arm (bone) that rotates or pivots around a fixed point (fulcrum) when a force (effort) is applied to move a resistance (load).
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: When drawing levers, the body part needs to be included. Correction: A lever will always be drawn using four shapes.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Lever classification Study Guide
- Levers and mechanical advantage Study Guide
- Levers in action Study Guide
- Levers in sporting actions Study Guide
- Planes and axes Study Guide
- Planes and axes in action Study Guide
- Planes and axes in physical activity and sport Study Guide
- Planes and axes in sport Study Guide
- Planes and axes of movement Study Guide
- Planes of movement and axes of rotation Study Guide
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