Movement analysis
What's covered
Key facts
A bicep curl works through a third-class lever while a calf raise (plantarflexion) works through a second-class lever.
The Second Law is written F = m × a, NOT F = m ÷ a.
A cartwheel (side-to-side rotation) takes place in the frontal plane, rotating around the sagittal axis.
A first-class lever in the body is the neck: nodding/extending the head about the atlanto-occipital joint, with the joint as the fulcrum between the neck muscles (effort) and the weight of the head (load).
Inertia is a body's reluctance (resistance) to change its state of motion.
The longitudinal (vertical) axis runs from head to toe; rotational movements turn about it.
In a first-class lever the fulcrum lies in the middle, between the effort and the load.
The harder a player strikes a ball (the greater the applied force), the greater the ball's acceleration, because for a fixed mass F = ma — a hard kick sends the ball faster and further than a soft one. [TeachPE, Newton's Laws of Motion] (retrieved 2026-06-11)
The sagittal (anteroposterior) axis runs from front to back; side-to-side rotations turn about it.
Every lever system has three components: a fulcrum (pivot), an effort (force applied) and a load (resistance to be moved).
Sample questions
A taste of the 30 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What are the three components of a lever system?
- •axis, force, resistance
- ✓fulcrum, effort, load
- •joint, muscle, tendon
- •origin, insertion, belly
What does Newton's First Law of Motion state?
- ✓A body stays at rest or moving uniformly unless a force acts
- •Every action has an equal and opposite reaction
- •Force equals mass times acceleration
- •Objects always accelerate when a force is applied
Which plane divides the body into upper and lower halves?
- •frontal (coronal) plane
- •oblique plane
- •sagittal (median) plane
- ✓transverse (horizontal) plane
In a first-class lever, where is the fulcrum?
- •At the end furthest from the load
- •At the same position as the effort
- ✓Between the effort and the load
- •Between the load and the end of the lever
A heavier shot-put requires more force than a lighter one for the same acceleration. Which law explains this?
- •Newton's First Law (inertia)
- ✓Newton's Second Law (F = ma)
- •Newton's Third Law (action/reaction)
- •The law of conservation of momentum
In which plane does a cartwheel (side-to-side) movement occur?
- •Diagonal plane
- ✓Frontal plane
- •Sagittal plane
- •Transverse plane
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