Compound lever
![Nail clippers are a simple form of compound lever](/Images/godic/202501/05/Fingernail_Clippers2951.jpg")
![Calculation of the mechanical advantage of a compound lever made of two class 1 levers](/Images/godic/202501/05/Compound_Lever_example2951.jpg")
![Calculation of the mechanical advantage of a nail clipper](/Images/godic/202501/05/Coupe_ongle_annotated.svg2951.png")
![A handloading press uses a compound lever to reduce the force the operator must apply and confine the action to a relatively small space.](/Images/godic/202501/05/Hornady_Reloading_Press2951.jpg")
The compound lever is a simple machine operating on the premise that the resistance from one lever in a system of levers will act as power for the next, and thus the applied force will be amplified from one lever to the next (as long as the mechanical advantage for each lever is greater than one). Almost all scales use some sort of compound lever to work. Other examples include nail clippers and piano keys.