# A gardener uses a wheelbarrow to move a heavy load of soil. The wheelbarrow acts as a lever, with the wheel acting as the pivot. Explain how the design of a wheelbarrow allows the gardener to lift the load using a smaller effort force than the weight of the soil.

> AQA GCSE Physics (8463) — 4.5.4 Moments, levers and gears (Phys only) · Explain · 4 marks

> A wheelbarrow is a simple machine. The handles are at the rear, the wheel (pivot) is at the front, and the load sits in the tray between them.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. A moment is the turning effect of a force (about a pivot)
2. The effort (applied at the handles) acts at a greater perpendicular distance from the pivot than the load
3. For the wheelbarrow to be in equilibrium, the clockwise moment must equal the anticlockwise moment
4. Because the effort distance is greater, a smaller effort force is needed to produce the same (balancing) moment as the load

## Key terms

- [pivot](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/pivot)
- [effort](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/effort)

## Related

- [Revision notes for AQA GCSE Physics (8463)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-gardener-uses-a-wheelbarrow-to-8abd3e26) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.