Question

A balanced lever has two weights on it, the first with mass `16 kg` and the second with mass `32 kg`. If the first weight is `7 m` from the fulcrum, how far is the second weight from the fulcrum?

Answer 1

Second weight is `3.5` `m.` from the fulcrum.

Explanation:

In a balanced lever, the moment of each of the weights should be equal.

Moment is mass of the weight multiplied by its distance from fulcrum.

As first weighs `16kg.` and is at a distance of `7m` frm fulcrum, its moment is `16xx7=112` `kg.m`.

As lever is balanced, moment of second weight too would be `112` `kg.m`. But its weight is `32kg.`.

Hence, it should be at a distance of

`112/32=(16xx7)/(16xx2)=7/2=3.5` `m.`