Enter the effort force applied to the lever, the distance from the effort force to the fulcrum, and the distance from the fulcrum to the object into the calculator to determine the lever force.

Lever Force Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Lever Force.

FL = EF * D1 / D2

  • Where FL is the lever force (N)
  • EF is the effort force applied to the lever
  • D1 is the distance from the effort force to the fulcrum (pivot point)
  • D2 is the distance from the fulcrum to the lever force point

What is a Lever Force?

Definition:

Lever force is the force exerted by a lever on an object when pressure is applied to the lever. For example, if you push down on one end of a lever, the other end will move upwards. The amount of force that you exert on the lever is called a “lever force.”

A lever consists of a rigid bar that rests on a pivot point called a fulcrum. A lever has three parts: the effort arm, resistance arm, and fulcrum. The effort arm is where you apply force to move the load on the resistance arm.

How to Calculate Lever Force?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Lever Force.

First, determine the effort force. For this example, and effort force of 21 N is applied to the lever.

Next, determine the distance from the effort force to the fulcrum. For this example, the distance is 3 ft.

Next, determine the distance from the fulcrum to the lever force point. In this case, this if found to be .75ft.

Finally, calculate the lever force using the formula above:

FL = EF * D1 / D2

FL = 3 * 21 / .75

FL = 84 N