Gigo 1249R, Manual, Page: 24 / 80

23
B
rainstorming
B
rainstorming
The springboard act at a circus is very
dangerous. As one person leaps down from a
very high platform and lands on a springboard,
another standing on the opposite side is sprung
high into the air. Fortunately, a diving board is relatively
much safer. A diving board is a level whose end is fixed.
This means that the further away the lever “arm” is from the
fulcrum, the greater its elasticity. During diving competitions, athletes
need to exploit the maximum elasticity of the board, bouncing as close
to the front as possible. By rhythmically landing on the diving board right
before the board bends down, the diver increase its rebound, allowing
them to shoot up higher.
When we need to use objects with small mass to move
objects with large mass, what methods are available?
Daily
Application
Daily
Application
A teacher introduced the lever principle during class. The teacher said that the
motion of bending over to pick up things was one application of the lever principle.
When we bend over, our muscles need to produce a lot of pulling force. This is
because our waist muscles and backbone combine to form a “third class lever”.
Therefore, the proper position for lifting heavy stuff is to make sure the object is as
close to our body as possible, in order to prevent injury. Students also learned some
useful facts about physiology at the same time.
At the end of the class, teacher introduced
a quote from Archimedes, “Give me a
place to stand, and I shall move the earth”.
Tony raised his hand and said “Give me a
lever as a springboard, and I shall spring
the earth away”. The class roared with
laughter at Tony’s wild imagination.
Kids, have you tried diving? Follow the
steps to build a large springboard!
6
Springboard
Scientific
Application
Lever Principle