Re: When was the lever invented?

Dear John:

That's a mighty good question!  No one really knows when (or by whom) the
lever was invented.  It's a little bit like the fact no one really knows
who invented the wheel.  It is more likely that a person (a little boy,
perhaps?) discovered the lever, just like someone discovered
fire... probably by accident, too!  The most important scientific
discoveries are often made by accident.

Many animals, like chimps and other apes, use simple levers to help them
with their daily activities, like cracking of a nut or lifting a rock.

So, my best guess would be that the lever was discovered in the very early
days of mankind!  

As you are learning in class now, there are many uses for levers - from
simple ones like a plank to lift a heavy object, to complicated mechanisms
like the levers inside a piano.  Though we call them simple machines, some
of the simplest ones can be made into super-dooper complicated systems of
simple machines!  It's one of those times when science can get a little
silly! 

Good luck in your class, and keep up the good questions!

Helene