Two students are sitting on a see-saw. The length of the board is 2 meters with the pivot point being in the very center. One student sitting on the end of the left side
has a mass of 34 kg. If the student sitting on the right has a mass of 42.5 kg, where
should she sit for the see-saw to be in equilibrium?

To solve the problem it is necessary to apply the concepts of Torque and equilibrium.

The Torque is defined as:

Where

F= Force

d = Distance

In this particular case, the force is caused by the weight of both children.

In turn, when there is equilibrium, the two torques must be equal therefore

Replacing with our values

Re-arrange to find  

Therefore the distance that the second kid should sit to balance the see-saw is 1.8m from the pivot.

what is the question because that is not a question.

gpe = mass x gravity constant x height or… gpe = mgh

where… mass: measured in kilograms (kg)

gravity: gravity constant on earth = 10.00 m/s2

height: measured in meters (m)

gpe: measured in joules (j) or kilojoules (kj)

how do you solve gpe?

gravitational potential energy (gpe) is the energy an object has because of its position above the. ground.

gpe = mass x gravity constant x height or… gpe = mgh.

mass:

note: to earn full marks when solving science word problems, you must show your work:

formula.

example:

given values:

mass = 0.3 kg.