Where is the centre of gravity for a person lying horizontally on two scales?

  • Thread starter blueice2
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    Equilibrium
In summary, for the first question, a small fish of 2kg hangs from one end of a fishing rod of 0.5kg and 2.5m length, braced against the ground and held horizontally by a child's hand. The force exerted by the child's hand is 65.7N, with x and y forces of 65.7N and 24.5N respectively. For the second question, a 160cm tall person lies horizontally on a board supported by two scales, one at the feet and one at the head. The centre of gravity of the person is 0.76m from the head. To solve these types of problems, it is important to draw vector diagrams and
  • #1
blueice2
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Hi, I need some help with these questions:

A small fish [m=2kg] hangs from one end of a make-shift fishing rod [m=0.5kg] of length 2.5m. The other end of the fishing rod is braced against the ground and held horizontally by a child's hand, 1m from the bottom of the rod. Find the force exerted by the child's hand and the x and y forces on the rod from the ground. (Ans: 65.7N, 65.7N, 24.5N)

and

A 160cm tall person lies horizontally on a massless board supported by two scales. 1 is positioned at the person's feet and the other at the person's head. If the scale at head reads 32.8kg and the scale at the feet reads 29.4kg, where is the person's centre of gravity? (Ans: 0.76m from head)

Thanks
 
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  • #2
You've got to show a little effort before someone's going to help you, but here's some general advice for any equilibrium problems.
1) Draw a vector diagram
2) Resolve all of your vectors into components, and draw a separate vector diagram with these.
3) Apply Newton's Second Law for each coordinate direction:
[tex]\sum F_{x}=0 , \sum F_{y}=0[/tex]
4) Solve the equations you get for the unknowns.
 
  • #3
So far for the first question, I did this:
Total Torque = 2kg(9.8)(2.5m) + 0.5(9.8)(1.25m)
I don't know how to find the distance of the Force Hand.
 
  • #4
Centre of gravity

Assuming
1. the weight of the person consists of two parts, one at the end of the feet. the other at the end of the head.
2. the scales are put at the two edges, the feet and the head.
3. use the formula of centre of gravity.
 

1. What is equilibrium in chemistry?

Equilibrium in chemistry refers to a state in which the forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates, resulting in no net change in the concentrations of reactants and products. This means that the system is stable and no further changes will occur without an external force acting on it.

2. How do you calculate equilibrium constant (Kc)?

The equilibrium constant (Kc) is calculated by taking the ratio of the concentrations of products to reactants, with each concentration raised to the power of its coefficient in the balanced chemical equation. The values for Kc can vary depending on temperature and pressure.

3. What factors can affect equilibrium?

The factors that can affect equilibrium include changes in temperature, pressure, concentration, and the presence of a catalyst. These factors can shift the equilibrium either to the left or right, resulting in changes in the concentrations of the reactants and products.

4. How do you determine the direction of the reaction at equilibrium?

The direction of the reaction at equilibrium can be determined by comparing the initial concentrations of the reactants and products to the equilibrium constant (Kc) value. If the initial concentrations are higher than the Kc value, the reaction will shift to the left and vice versa.

5. How does Le Chatelier's principle apply to equilibrium problems?

Le Chatelier's principle states that when a system at equilibrium is disturbed, it will shift in a way that counteracts the disturbance. In the case of equilibrium problems, this means that if a change is made to the system, the reaction will shift in a direction to try and restore equilibrium.

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