A boy of weight 600 N sits on the see-saw as shown at a distance of 1.5 m from the pivot. Another boy with a weight of 400 N sits at the other end to balance the see-saw. What distance should the 400 N boy sit so that the see-saw is perfectly balanced?
Question
A boy of weight 600 N sits on the see-saw as shown at a distance of 1.5 m from the pivot. Another boy with a weight of 400 N sits at the other end to balance the see-saw. What distance should the 400 N boy sit so that the see-saw is perfectly balanced?
Solution
To balance the see-saw, the moments on either side of the pivot must be equal. The moment is calculated by multiplying the force (in this case, the weight of the boy) by the distance from the pivot.
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Calculate the moment of the 600 N boy: Moment = Force x Distance Moment = 600 N x 1.5 m = 900 Nm
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Set this equal to the moment of the 400 N boy and solve for the distance: 900 Nm = 400 N x Distance Distance = 900 Nm / 400 N = 2.25 m
So, the 400 N boy should sit 2.25 m from the pivot to perfectly balance the see-saw.
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