What are fulcrums?

A fulcrum is like the middle part of a seesaw that lets you and your friend go up and down.

Imagine you're playing on a seesaw at the park. When one side goes up, the other goes down, and it all happens because of something in the middle: the fulcrum. That's the part under the board that doesn't move; it just lets the board pivot around it.

Think of a fulcrum as the center point of balance. If you're on one side and your friend is on the other, the fulcrum helps you both go up and down without falling off. Without the fulcrum, the seesaw wouldn’t move, it would just be a flat board!

You can find fulcrums in many places around you:

• A door hinges on its fulcrum, letting it open and close.
• Scissors have fulcrums too, that’s why they can cut paper so easily.

So, the next time you're on a seesaw or opening a door, remember: there's a little helper called a fulcrum doing all the work!