Question

Two children of mass 27 kg and 51 kg sit balanced on a seesaw with the pivot point located at the center of the seesaw. If the children are separated by a distance of 4 m, at what distance from the pivot point is the small child sitting in order to maintain the balance?

Answer 1

2.62 m

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the small child sit at a distance x from the pivot.

The distance of big child from the pivot is 4 - x .

By using the concept of moments.

Clockwise moments = anticlockwise moments

27 x = 51 ( 4 - x )

27 x = 204 - 51 x

78 x = 204

x = 2.62 m