Question

The center of mass of a person may be determined by an arrangement. A light plank rests on two scales separated by a distance of d = 1.80 m and reading fg1 = 485 N and fg2 = 255 N. Determine the distance of the girl's center of mass from her feet?

Answer 1

The distance of the girl's center of mass from her feet is 0.81 m.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the distance of the girl's center of mass from her feet, we can use the principle of moments. The sum of the moments about any point is equal to zero. In this case, we can take the point between the two scales as the pivot. The moment created by the weight on one scale is equal to the moment created by the weight on the other scale. Using this principle, we can set up an equation:

(fg1)(d) = (fg2)(D-d)

Where d is the distance between the girl's feet and one of the scales, D is the total distance between the scales, fg1 is the reading on scale 1, and fg2 is the reading on scale 2. Plugging in the given values, we have:

(485 N)(1.80 m) = (255 N)(1.80 m - d)

Solving for d, we get:

d = 0.81 m