Seesaws

This week we started talking about simple machines. The first machine we looked at was the lever. After discussing the 3 classes of levers and examples of each, we experimented with a class 1 lever, the seesaw. Each lab group was given a pair of unequal weights. The goal was to figure out how to place them on the seesaw, so that they would be perfectly balanced. In each case we recorded the distance from the fulcrum. After trying out several different pairs, we reviewed our data and looked for patterns.

Let's see how much YOU know about levers...If you place a 500 g weight 10 cm from the fulcrum, where do you need to place a 100 g weight so that it will balance the heavier weight?