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GCSE Physical Education · key term
The distance from the fulcrum to the point where the effort is applied on a basic lever drawing.
Used by AQA
Paper 1
Revise: Mechanical advantageOn a basic straight-line lever drawing, the effort arm is the distance from the fulcrum to the point where effort is applied. The resistance arm is the distance from the fulcrum to the point where the load acts. The resistance arm may also be called the load arm or weight arm.
Label both arms from the fulcrum: the effort arm ends at the effort, and the resistance arm ends at the load.
To justify which lever has the greatest mechanical advantage, compare effort arm ÷ resistance arm, not effort-arm length alone.
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