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

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    Equilibrium
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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around two physics problems: one involving a fishing rod with a hanging weight and the other concerning the center of gravity of a person lying horizontally on a board supported by two scales. The subject area includes concepts of equilibrium, torque, and center of gravity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss methods for calculating forces and torques in equilibrium problems. Some question how to determine the distance of the force applied by the child's hand in the first problem. Others explore the assumptions regarding the distribution of weight for the center of gravity in the second problem.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problems, with some providing general advice on tackling equilibrium issues. There is an ongoing exploration of the assumptions made regarding the center of gravity and the setup of the scales.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework rules, which may limit the amount of direct assistance provided. The specific answers to the problems are noted but not discussed in detail.

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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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:
\sum F_{x}=0 , \sum F_{y}=0
4) Solve the equations you get for the unknowns.
 
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.
 
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.
 

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