Joey weighs 77 lb and sits on a seesaw at a distance of 30 inches from the fulcrum. Jenny

weighs 67 lb and sits on the opposite side of the seesaw at a distance of 48 inches from the
fulcrum. Mikey weighs 30 lb and wants to play but doesn’t know where to sit in order to make
the seesaw exactly balance. On whose side and how far away from the fulcrum should he sit?

Take moments about the fulcrum, and assume Mikey sits on Joey's side. If the distance turns out negative, go to the other side.

=====J=======M=======Δ=======Jen======

Take moments about the fulcrum, clockwise=positive

67*48 - (77*30 + 30*x ) = 0
Solve for x

To determine where Mikey should sit in order to balance the seesaw, we need to consider the concept of moments of force. The moment of force is calculated by multiplying the weight of an object by its distance from the fulcrum.

In this case, we have Joey and Jenny on opposite sides of the seesaw. To balance the seesaw, the total moment of force on each side should be equal.

Let's calculate the moments of force for Joey and Jenny:
- For Joey: Moment of force = weight * distance from fulcrum = 77 lb * 30 inches = 2310 lb*inches
- For Jenny: Moment of force = weight * distance from fulcrum = 67 lb * 48 inches = 3216 lb*inches

Since Joey's moment of force is smaller than Jenny's, Mikey needs to sit on Jenny's side to balance the seesaw. He should sit at a distance from the fulcrum that creates a moment of force equal to 2310 lb*inches.

To find this distance, we can rearrange the moment of force formula to solve for the distance:
Distance from fulcrum = Moment of force / weight = 2310 lb*inches / 30 lb ≈ 77 inches

Therefore, Mikey should sit on Jenny's side of the seesaw, approximately 77 inches away from the fulcrum, in order to balance the seesaw.