As to the detailed description of my balance: it is a simple two-pan balance with swing pans attached to a triangular shaped fulcrum inside a metal circle. The horizontal length of the arm from one side to the other is 13 inches and the vertical length from the top to the bottom of each pan...
I think that you are confusing my posting of an article that I wrote about the "Desensitization of a Balance With Langmuir Binding of Weights" which is basically an experimental article with my current request to find an equation to give the angle of a balance with unequal weights.
I wonder if its not too much trouble if you could write the equation and I also wonder if it shows that the angle of the balance will decrease when extra weight is added to each side as in the example I gave above.
Reply to answers
With all due respect, your answers show that we all have initial assumptions that may be wrong unless tested.
If you actually have a very simple, two pan balance (the old fashion swing kind) and test it, you will see that it does make an angle, which isn't necessarily a...
angle terms
It seems that the angle terms cancel unless I'm making a mistake, which is certainly possible. Has this been done anywhere that I can see a resulting equation?
Does anyone know what the equation would be for the angle (from horizontal) of a simple two pan balance with unequal weights? This would be the simplest type of balance - no damping mechanism, etc. I have looked in many places, but I can't seem to find a specific equation for this angle for...