What are the forces acting on a seesaw?

What are the forces acting on a seesaw?

A seesaw is a specific type of lever; it consists of a long beam attached to a pivot called the fulcrum. As soon as you put weight on one end by sitting on one side of the beam it drops to the ground. This is because the force of gravity is acting on the weight of your body, pulling it and the beam down.

What force is needed to balance the seesaw?

In order for the seesaw to be balanced, the torque must be equal on each side of the pivot point. Use the equation for torque in this equation. The force of each object will be equal to the force of gravity. Gravity can be canceled from each side of the equation.

What are the two balanced forces when sitting on a chair?

There are at least two forces acting on you as you sit in the chair. One is the force of gravity which is the Earth pulling you straight down. The other is the upward push of the chair you are in which counteracts the pull of gravity.

Where is the pivot on a seesaw?

middle
Think of a playground see-saw. The pivot is the part in the middle. The see-saw is level when no-one is on it, but the see-saw tips up if someone gets onto one end. It is possible to balance the see-saw again if someone else gets onto the other end and sits in the correct place.

Where should person sit to balance the seesaw?

1 Expert Answer So Ellen should sit 6.67 feet away from the fulcrum.

Are Moments forces?

A force or system of forces may cause an object to turn. A moment is the turning effect of a force. Moments act about a point in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction.

How are two girls sitting on a see saw?

In the picture (Figure 1 (a) two girls are sitting on a see saw. They have moved until it is balanced. They are the same weight and so to balance the see saw they must sit the same distance from the pivot. In the picture (Figure 1 (b) one of the girls gets off and a man sits on instead. They move until the see saw is balanced.

What is the torque of a see saw?

From Sample Problem 1 we know that the torque due to the original mass is -58.8Nm. Since the sum of all torques must be zero when the see-saw is balanced, the torque due to the new mass must be +58.8Nm: The new mass should be placed 1.2m to the left of the pivot point. Copyright © 1999 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and DJ Wagner.

How is the turning effect of a force found?

You should remember that the turning effect of a force is called the moment of the force and is found by multiplying the force by its distance from the pivot. When the see saw is balanced we say that the anticlockwise moments (those trying to turn the object anticlockwise) equal the clockwise moments (those trying to turn the object clockwise).

What happens when you reduce the force to 20 N?

If you reduce the force to 20 N, the torque is reduced to 16 N · m, and so on. The torque is always calculated with reference to some chosen pivot point.