Question

Place 2N worth of force 0.3m from the fulcrum. Place 3N of force 0.6m from the same side of the fulcrum. Where would you place 6N to balance the lever?

a) 0.4m from the fulcrum
b) 0.2m from the fulcrum
c) 0.8m from the fulcrum
d) 0.1m from the fulcrum

Answer 1

To achieve equilibrium on the lever, the 6N force should be placed 0.4m from the fulcrum, which equals the total moment divided by the force, making the correct answer choice a).

Step-by-step explanation:

To balance the lever, we need to determine where to place a 6N force to achieve equilibrium. We have existing forces of 2N at 0.3m and 3N at 0.6m from the fulcrum on the same side. We will use the principle of moments, which states that the system is in equilibrium when the clockwise moments equal the counter-clockwise moments. The moment is the product of the force and its distance from the fulcrum (Force x Distance).

The total moment provided by the existing forces is:

• 2N x 0.3m = 0.6Nm
• 3N x 0.6m = 1.8Nm

Summing these moments gives us a total of 2.4Nm that needs to be balanced.

To find the distance where the 6N should be applied, we divide the total moment by the 6N force:

Distance = Total moment / Force

Distance = 2.4Nm / 6N = 0.4m

Therefore, to balance the lever, the 6N force should be placed at 0.4m from the fulcrum, which corresponds to answer choice a).