Balancing The Seesaw

Classical Mechanics Level 1

Andy and his father come across a special seesaw, which has four seats, as shown above.

If Andy's father weighs twice as much as Andy, then which seats should the two of them occupy to balance the seesaw?

A B C D

2 solutions

Rishabh Tiwari
May 14, 2016

See-saw is an example of lever...

ACCORDING TO THE LEVER PRINCIPLE,→

m1 × a = m2 × b , {For the lever to be balnced}.........,

Where m1 and m2 are the masses and 'a' & 'b' are their distances from the fulcrum(point of balance),........,

Now let, →Son's mass = m1 = x &........

→Father's mass = m2 = 2x (given).....

Now, (x) × (a) = (2x) × (b) , →b=a/2

:- Implies that father must sit half the distance from fulcrum in comparison to his son....

→ Hence if son sits at the end in one half, then father must sit midway in the other half of the see-saw... Thank you....

Bryn Shelley
May 14, 2016

Surely, If dad is twice as heavy he is a 2 the boy a 1. The outside seats are both 2, the insides a 1. To balance you need a 3 (dad + boy =3). Dad inside = 3. Boy outside = 3

Balancing The Seesaw

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