Question

To balance a seesaw the distance a person is from the fulcrum is inversely proportional to his or her weight. Roger who weights 120 pounds is sitting 6 feet from the fulcrum. Ellen weights 108 pounds. How far from the fulcrum must she sit to balance the seesaw? Round to the nearest hundredth of a root

Answer 1

6.67 ft

Explanation:

Let d = distance

and w = weight

Then d = k/w

or dw = k

Let d1 and w1 represent Roger

and d2 and w2 represent Ellen. Then

d1w1 = d2w2

Data:

d1 = 6 ft; w1 = 120 lb

d2 = ? ; w2 = 108 lb

Calculation:

6 × 120 = 108d2

720 = 108d2

d2 = 720/108 = 6.67 ft

Ellen must sit 6.67 ft from the fulcrum.