Question
Two children on a seesaw are able to balance perfectly while on Earth. Would they still be balanced if the seesaw was brought to the moon? Yes, they would still be balanced because their masses would not change. No, they would not be balanced because their masses would change. Yes, they would still be balanced because their weights would not change. No, they would not be balanced because their weights would change.
Ask by Nichols Sherman. in the United States
Feb 19,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
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Answer
They would still be balanced because their masses remain the same on the Moon.
Solution
The seesaw will still be balanced on the Moon because the masses do not change, and both children’s weights will be reduced by the same factor due to the lower gravitational acceleration. The balance condition depends on the torques produced by each child about the pivot (torque = force × distance). Although weight (force) is affected by the acceleration due to gravity, both children experience the same fractional change, so the balance remains intact if it was achieved on Earth.
Thus, the correct answer is: "Yes, they would still be balanced because their masses would not change."
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Yes, they would still be balanced because their masses would not change. Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and is constant regardless of location—whether on Earth, the Moon, or even in the furthest reaches of space! However, the seesaw's behavior would change due to the difference in gravitational pull. On the Moon, gravity is about 1/6th that of Earth. This means that while the children maintain their mass, their weight (mass multiplied by gravity) would decrease. If the children weigh differently, they could potentially tip the seesaw, making it a totally different balancing act!
