Question

Marcel is helping his two children, Jacquesand Gilles, to balance on a seesaw so that they will be able tomake it tilt back and forth without the heavier child, Jacques,simply sinking to the ground. Given that Jacques, whose weight isW, is sitting at distance L to the left of the pivot, at what distance L_1 should Marcel place Gilles, whose weight is w, to the right of the pivot to balance the seesaw?

Express your answer in terms ofL, W, and w.

Answer 1

L_1 = (W/w)×L

Step-by-step explanation:

For the balance in a seesaw, the principle of moments is used that is the moment or torque on left hand side must be equal to the moment or torque on the right hand side

we can write that

W×L= w×L_1

so L_1 = (W/w)×L

so, the lighter boy Marcel must be farther from the pivotal point in oder to balance the momemt.