Question

Assume that you have a meter stick balanced on a pivot, and pile of additional masses that you can hang on the meter stick.

What is the minimum number of additional masses that you need to hang from the meter stick in order to determine the mass of the meter stick itself?

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It's a trick question, you cannot uses masses to determine the mass of the meter stick.

Answer 1

The minimum number of additional masses needed to determine the mass of the meter stick is 2.

Step-by-step explanation:

The minimum number of additional masses that you need to hang from the meter stick in order to determine the mass of the meter stick itself is 2.

To determine the mass of the meter stick, you need to create a torque balance by hanging masses on the meter stick. By adjusting the position of the masses and measuring the torque, you can find the point of equilibrium where the meter stick is balanced. Once you have two masses on each side of the pivot point, you can calculate the mass of the meter stick using the principle of torque balance.

For example, let's say you hang a mass of 1 kg on one side of the stick and another mass of 0.5 kg on the other side. If the stick is balanced, it means the mass of the meter stick itself is equal to the total mass of the two hanging masses, which is 1.5 kg. Therefore, by using only two additional masses, you can determine the mass of the meter stick.

Answer 2

You will not need any mass to determine the mass of the stick.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mass of an object, like the stick, can only be determined according to Newton's second law, which states that the mass of an object is equal to the force of that object, divided by the mass of the object. It is obvious that we do not know what is the force and acceleration value of the stick shown in the question above, however, it is impossible to know what is the mass of it, adding external masses to the stick.