Question

2. Ram of weight 500 N and Hari of weight 400 N are playing see-saw. If Ram is sitting 1.5 m away from the fulcrum, how far should Hari sit from the fulcrum to balance Ram? [Ans: 1.87 m]

Answer 1

Answer:

1.87 m

Explanation:

They are balanced when the net torque is equal to 0. Since the torque is the force times the distance to the fulcrum, we get:

$\tau_{net}=(400N)x-(500\text{ N\rparen\lparen1.5 m\rparen = 0}$

Where x is the distance from Hari to the fulcrum. Solving for x, we get:

$\begin{gathered} (400N)x=(500N)(1.5\text{ m\rparen} \\ \\ (400\text{ N\rparen x = 750 N m} \\ \\ x=\frac{750\text{ N m}}{400\text{ N}} \\ \\ x=1.87\text{ m} \end{gathered}$

Therefore, the answer is 1.87 m