ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)Mechanical Comprehension (MC)Easy
A worker uses a wheelbarrow to transport soil. The wheelbarrow itself acts as a lever. If the load of soil is placed between the wheel (fulcrum) and the handles where the worker applies force, what class of lever is the wheelbarrow?
- AClass 3 Lever
- BClass 2 Lever
- CCompound Lever
- DClass 1 Lever
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Class 2 Lever
In a Class 2 lever, the load is positioned between the fulcrum and the effort. For a wheelbarrow, the wheel acts as the fulcrum, the soil is the load, and the handles are where the effort is applied.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A Class 3 lever has the effort between the fulcrum and the load (e.g., tweezers).
- C. A compound lever consists of multiple simple levers connected together, which a wheelbarrow is not.
- D. A Class 1 lever has the fulcrum between the effort and the load (e.g., seesaw).
Class 2 Lever
A type of lever where the load is located between the fulcrum and the effort. It always provides a mechanical advantage, meaning less effort is needed to move a heavy load.
- Order: Fulcrum – Load – Effort.
- Always provides mechanical advantage.
- Examples: wheelbarrow, nutcracker, bottle opener.
Memory trick: FLE 123: Fulcrum-Load-Effort for Class 1, Load in middle for Class 2, Effort in middle for Class 3.