Tasha has mass 20 kg and wants to use a 4.0-m board of mass 10 kg as a seesaw.Her friends are busy,so Tasha seesaws by herself by putting the support at the system's center of gravity when she sits on one end of the board.How far is she from the support point?
A)2.0 m
B)1.0 m
C)0.67 m
D)0.33 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To maintain balance, the center of mass of the system (Tasha and the board) should be at the support point.

Let x be the distance Tasha is from the support point. Then, the center of mass of the system is:

(20 kg)(x) + (10 kg)(2.0 m - x) = (30 kg)(2.0 m)

Simplifying and solving for x, we get:

x = 0.67 m

Therefore, Tasha is 0.67 m from the support point.

Tasha Has Mass 20 Kg and Wants to Use a 4.0-M