Question

The figure shows a lever system, similar to a seesaw that you might find in a children's playground. For the system to balance, the product of the weight and its distance from the fulcrum must be the same on each side; that is, W1X1 = W2X2. This equation is called the law of the lever, and was first discovered by Archimedes. A woman and her son are playing on a seesaw. The boy is at one end, 5 ft from the fulcrum. If the son weighs 90 lb and the mother weighs 125 lb, where should the woman sit so that the seesaw is balanced? ft from the fulcrum Enter a number. w xi

Answer 1

w1 x1 = w2 x2

given  

x1 = 5 ft

w1 = 90 lb

w2 = 125 lb

putting the values

90 * 5 = 125 * x2

thus x2 = 450 / 125

= 3.6 ft from the fulcrum