a boy of mass 20kg sits on a seesaw 1.8m from the axis of rotation. at what distance from the axis must his friend, whose mass is 24kg, be positioned to balance the seesaw?
To calculate the distance from the axis where the friend must be positioned to balance the seesaw, we can use the principle of moments.
The moment produced by the boy can be calculated as:
Moment of boy = Mass of boy x Distance from axis
= 20kg x 1.8m
= 36 kg.m
To balance the seesaw, the moment produced by the friend must be equal and opposite to the moment produced by the boy. The formula for moment is Mass x Distance.
So, we can set up the equation:
Moment of friend = Moment of boy
24kg x Distance = 36 kg.m
Solving for Distance:
Distance = 36 kg.m / 24kg
Distance = 1.5 meters
Therefore, the friend must be positioned 1.5 meters from the axis to balance the seesaw.