Comic : What is a lever?
【明報專訊】The Smarties are learning about levers.
■Know more
Levers (槓杆) are all around us. They make it easy to lift, remove or cut objects.
Common examples of levers include seesaws and brooms. Surprisingly, there are also levers in the human body. A lever is made up of a straight, sturdy bar. It rests on a fixed point of support called the fulcrum (支點). The object which we try to move is called the load (重點) and the force which we apply is called the effort (力點). Based on the positions of the fulcrum, load and effort, levers are classified into first, second or third class levers.
The first class lever is the one we are most familiar with. In a first class lever, such as a seesaw, the fulcrum is between the load and the effort. When we push down on one end, the other end goes up. It shows that the lever changes the direction of the force we apply. One interesting thing to note is that when the effort is closer to the fulcrum, then it is harder to lift the load.
■English highway
the other vs another
'The other' is different from 'another'. 'The other' means the second of two things or people. 'Another' means 'one more' or 'different'.
E.g. There are two libraries near my home. The one downstairs is quite big, but the other one is even bigger.
Mum, can I have another piece of chocolate cake?
■Glossary
fetch (v) 拿來
jaw (n) 顎
sturdy (adj) 堅固的
bar (n) 條狀物
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[Smarties' Power English 第366期]
