Levers, Pulleys and Gears: Foundation (Year 5) | CGP Plus - Free Printable

Let's solve each part of this worksheet step by step and explain the reasoning behind each answer.

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1. Use the words below to fill in the gaps.

Word bank: pivot, teeth, lifting, direction, size

#### a) Simple machines change the ______ or the ______ of a force to make a job easier.

✔ Answer: *size* or *direction*

- Simple machines help us do work more easily by changing either:
- The size of the force (e.g., making a small force have a larger effect), or
- The direction of the force (e.g., pulling down to lift something up).

So:
👉 Simple machines change the *size* or the *direction* of a force to make a job easier.

#### b) The 2 parts of a lever are called the beam and the ______.

✔ Answer: *pivot*

- A lever has two main parts:
- The beam (the rigid bar)
- The pivot (the point around which the beam rotates)

👉 The 2 parts of a lever are called the beam and the *pivot*.

#### c) The pointed parts of gear wheels are called ______.

✔ Answer: *teeth*

- Gears have teeth that interlock with other gears to transmit motion and force.

👉 The pointed parts of gear wheels are called *teeth*.

#### d) A pulley is useful for ______ heavy objects.

✔ Answer: *lifting*

- Pulleys are often used to lift heavy loads using less effort, especially when combined with ropes.

👉 A pulley is useful for *lifting* heavy objects.

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2. This person would like to move this heavy bag of apples. Which of the following ideas will help them do this more easily? Circle the correct suggestions.

We see a person using a lever (a long beam with a pivot under it) to lift a heavy bag of apples.

Let’s evaluate each option:

- ✔ Use a shorter lever beam → ✘ Incorrect
A shorter beam reduces mechanical advantage. It makes lifting harder.

- ✔ Use a longer lever beam → ✔️ Correct
A longer beam increases leverage — you can apply force farther from the pivot, making it easier to lift the load.

- ✔ Push down next to the pivot → ✘ Incorrect
Pushing near the pivot requires more force because it's close to the fulcrum. Less effective.

- ✔ Push down at the end of the beam → ✔️ Correct
Applying force at the end of the beam gives maximum leverage (greater moment arm), making it easier.

- ✔ Move the pivot nearer to the apple bag → ✘ Incorrect
Moving the pivot closer to the load means the load arm is short, but the effort arm is also shortened. Actually, this makes it harder unless balanced properly. Wait — let's think carefully.

Wait — actually, if you move the pivot nearer to the apple bag, then:
- Load arm becomes shorter
- Effort arm becomes longer → better mechanical advantage

So:
👉 Yes, moving the pivot closer to the apple bag makes it easier because you increase the effort arm length relative to the load arm.

But wait — in the diagram, the pivot is already under the bag. If you move it nearer to the bag, it might be even closer, but we need to consider the position.

Actually, to make it easier, you want:
- The pivot closer to the load (apple bag) → so the effort arm is longer.
- That’s correct!

So:
✔ Move the pivot nearer to the apple bag → ✔️ Correct

Now:
✘ Move the pivot away from the apple bag → ✘ Incorrect
This moves the pivot farther from the load, meaning the load arm gets longer, making it harder to lift.

✔ So correct answers are:
- ✔ Use a longer lever beam
- ✔ Push down at the end of the beam
- ✔ Move the pivot nearer to the apple bag

👉 Circle these three.

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3. Label each of the diagrams below using the word bank.

Word bank: pivot, beam, force, gear

#### First Diagram: Two gears meshing together

- One gear is turning clockwise, the other counterclockwise.
- Arrows show rotation.

Label:
- The gear on the left
- The gear on the right
- The force applied (arrow showing direction of rotation)
- No "pivot" or "beam" here — those are for levers.

But the question says “label each of the diagrams” using the word bank.

So for this gear diagram:
- Label the gears
- The arrow shows the force causing rotation

So:
- Arrow → force
- Each wheel → gear

#### Second Diagram: A lever

It shows:
- A horizontal bar (beam)
- A triangle underneath (pivot)
- A downward arrow (force)
- An upward arrow on the right side (output)

Label:
- Horizontal bar → beam
- Triangle → pivot
- Downward arrow → force

So labels:
- Beam: the long bar
- Pivot: the triangle
- Force: the downward arrow (input force)

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✔ Final Answers Summary:

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Question 1:

a) Simple machines change the size or the direction of a force to make a job easier.
b) The 2 parts of a lever are called the beam and the pivot.
c) The pointed parts of gear wheels are called teeth.
d) A pulley is useful for lifting heavy objects.

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Question 2:

Circle these options:
- ✔ Use a longer lever beam
- ✔ Push down at the end of the beam
- ✔ Move the pivot nearer to the apple bag

*(These increase mechanical advantage)*

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Question 3: Labels

Gear Diagram:
- Left wheel → gear
- Right wheel → gear
- Rotational arrow → force

Lever Diagram:
- Long bar → beam
- Triangle → pivot
- Downward arrow → force

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✔ All answers explained based on physics principles of simple machines.

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or visual labeling!