What Is a Lever?
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A lever, like this oil pump jack, is a simple machine that helps people lift and move heavy loads.
Olga Groza/iStockfootage/Getty Images
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Have you ever played on a seesaw at the playground? Have you ever pushed a wheelbarrow? Have you ever held a fishing pole or swung a baseball bat? If you have, you have used a lever! Each of these objects uses the help of leverage to raise or move a load, or weight.
The lever is one of six simple machines. These are all tools that help you do work. The inclined plane, the wheel and axle, the screw, the wedge, and the pulley are the other five simple machines. Each of these machines is simple, meaning it has few or no moving parts.
