Question

You are hammering a nail through a piece of wood, you are making sure you are holding the hammer the right way by holding the bottom of the hammer to grip it correctly to the strike the nail. Which class of lever are you using?

a.)First class
b.)Second class
c.)Third class

Answer 1

Holding the hammer at the bottom of the handle while striking a nail through wood uses a third class lever, where the effort is applied between the load and the fulcrum. The hammer's handle serves as the lever arm with the hammer head striking the nail as the load.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you are hammering a nail through a piece of wood and ensuring you are holding the hammer at the bottom of the handle to grip it correctly to strike the nail, you are using a third class lever. In a third class lever, the force applied (effort) is between the load (resistance) and the fulcrum (pivot). The hammer's handle acts as the lever arm with the hand applying the effort closer to the fulcrum and the head of the hammer striking the nail as the load.

Analogously, when you hold a nail at its center with pliers to prevent bending, this is because gripping the nail with pliers adds stability to the nail, reducing the likelihood of buckling under the hammer's force. This method gives extra support at the nail's midpoint, making it more resistant to bending.