Skip to main content
Physics LibreTexts

21.6: General Questions

  • Page ID
    29239
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    1. If you weigh twice as much as your little sister, where should you sit with respect to the pivot point in order to balance the see-saw?  Should you sit closer to the pivot or father from the pivot?  How much closer/farther should you sit?

    clipboard_e74ebafc53703eb18c71a6fe9be4b5297.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Kids on a Seesaw by j4p4n available in Public Domain
    1. A person pulls on the long end of a crowbar with 150 lbs (667 Newtons) of force, applying the force perpendicular to the lever arm.  The long end of the crowbar measures 90 centimeters from the pivot to where the force is applied.

    clipboard_e80c3459ca7155e17ba60b07d18af44e4.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Pry Bar
    1. Calculate the amount of torque on the long side of the crowbar.

    2. What is the torque on the short side of the crowbar?

    3. How much force is applied to the crate?

    4. Calculate the mechanical advantage gained by using the crowbar.

    Contributors and Attributions


    21.6: General Questions is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?