Question

a 44 kg , 5.2-m -long beam is supported, but not attached to, the two posts in (figure 1). a 24 kg boy starts walking along the beam. how close can he get to the right end of the beam without it falling over?

Answer 1

To determine how close the boy can get to the right end of the beam without it falling over, we need to consider the principle of torque and the balancing of torques. By setting the torque from the boy equal to the torque from the beam, we can find the boy's position.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how close the boy can get to the right end of the beam without it falling over, we need to consider the principle of torque. Torque is the product of force and the perpendicular distance from the point of rotation. In this case, the beam is supported by two posts and the boy's weight creates a torque that is balanced by the torque from the beam and the posts. The torque from the boy can be calculated as the product of his weight (mass multiplied by acceleration due to gravity) and the distance of his position from the right end of the beam. The torque from the beam can be calculated as the product of it's weight (mass multiplied by acceleration due to gravity) and the distance of it's center of gravity from the right end of the beam. By setting these two torques equal to each other and solving for the boy's position, we can find how close he can get to the right end of the beam without it falling over.