See Saw Balance: Heavy Person & Fulcrum

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the mechanics of a seesaw, specifically addressing how the weight distribution of two individuals affects balance. The original poster questions whether a heavier person needs to move closer to the fulcrum to achieve equilibrium.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore intuitive and mathematical reasoning regarding torque and balance on a seesaw. There are attempts to relate weight and distance from the fulcrum to the concept of torque, with questions about how to maintain balance when weights differ.

Discussion Status

Some participants provide guidance by suggesting practical experiments to illustrate the concepts discussed. There is an acknowledgment of the original poster's concerns, and the conversation remains open to exploring various interpretations of the problem without reaching a consensus.

Contextual Notes

The original poster expresses concern about their question due to a medical condition, which adds a layer of sensitivity to the discussion. This context may influence the nature of the responses and the encouragement to engage with the problem through experimentation.

Lula Belle
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on a see saw when one person weighs much more than the other, does the heavier person need to move closer to the fulcrum to balance out the weight?
 
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Go to a park and try it.
 
I am so sorry to ask such a dumb question. I have a medical condition which prevents me from being able to figure things out as well as I used to. Please forgive me.
 
Thinking intuitively:
Think about two people with equal weights. In this situation, obviously to make them balance each other on a seesaw they would need to be the same distance away from the fulcrum.
Imagine then that one of those people (Let's say Person A) moves closer to the fulcrum (pivot). Which direction would the see saw move?

Thinking mathematically:
Torque = Force x r
r being the distance from the pivot point.

To make the seesaw balanced the torque by person A would have to be the same as the one for person B. If person A's weight is bigger, then what do you have to do to r to make it stay constant?
 
Lula Belle said:
I am so sorry to ask such a dumb question. I have a medical condition which prevents me from being able to figure things out as well as I used to. Please forgive me.

It is not a dumb question and I did not mean to be insensitive to your medical condition. Much of basic physics can be revealed by simple experiment and I meant to suggest that. I don't know your limitations, but you might be able to find a simple object, for example a metal kitchen ladle, where one end has much more mass than the other (or the mass is more concentrated). Then try balancing it on your finger (or on a pencil or the edge of something). Is the balance point closer to the "heavy" end or the light one?
Tom
 
Lula Belle said:
I am so sorry to ask such a dumb question. I have a medical condition which prevents me from being able to figure things out as well as I used to. Please forgive me.

And, here is an applet that allows you to "play" with this sort of question. Many people find that trying something out makes the equations more sensible.
http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph11e/lever.htm
Tom
 
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