A small hand pump has a fulcrum attached at one end and a load plunger located 50 mm from the fulcrum. If an effort of 600 N is applied downward, what is the force exerted by the load plunger?

The calculation of the force exerted by the load plunger in this scenario is based on the principle of moments (also known as the lever principle). In a lever system, the moments created by the load and effort about the fulcrum must balance for the lever to be in equilibrium.

In this case, the effort is applied downward at a distance from the fulcrum, and the load plunger is positioned at a different distance on the opposite side of the fulcrum. The moment (or torque) created by the effort can be calculated by multiplying the force applied by its distance from the fulcrum. Specifically, the moment due to the effort is 600 N multiplied by the distance from the fulcrum.

If we consider that the load plunger is at a distance from the fulcrum, we can set up the equation for equilibrium:

Effort moment = Load moment

Given that the distance of the load plunger from the fulcrum is 50 mm (which is 0.05 m), the force exerted by the load plunger can be found by rearranging the moments equation.

If, hypothetically, the distance of the effort was not provided (which is often the case in similar