The Three Types of Levers
(1st, 2nd, 3rd Class) &
Their Locations in the Body

lever.gif (180206 bytes)
Click on the image
|to view the parts of a lever . . .
More below . . .

Return to Mr. Lazaroff's Anatomy & Physiology
Quiz on Friday, October 20, 2000


To Study I would suggest that you refer to both of our textbooks:

  • Blue Book, pages 270-272

  • White Book, pages 318-319

1st Class Lever:     2nd     3rd     Quiz      Top
lever1.gif (15661 bytes)     In this type of lever (as seen in a see-saw) the effort moves the resistance in the opposite direction.

2nd Class Lever:     1st     3rd     Quiz      Top
lever2ex.gif (50082 bytes)   lever2.gif (33928 bytes)    In this type of lever (as seen in a wheelbarrow) the resistance is between the effort and the fulcrum.

3rd Class Lever:     1st     2nd     Quiz      Top
lever3ex.gif (70672 bytes)   lever3.gif (30645 bytes)    In this type of lever the effort is between the resistance and the fulcrum.  This lever requires a much greater effort to move the resistance, thus resulting in a much bigger muscle.  It is, nonetheless, the most common type of lever in the body.

Quiz Format:     1st     2nd     3rd      Top

Quiz on Friday,
October 20, 2000

 I will ask you to do the following:
  • Draw the basic lever format using the symbols above
  • Describe the labels in your diagram (E, F, R)
  • Label the types of levers (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
  • Identify the type of lever used in the body part I describe to you

GOOD LUCK!