Answer :
To calculate the torque on the pivot, compute the gravitational force for each person and multiply by their respective distance from the pivot, then add these values to get the total torque.
The question involves calculating the torque on the pivot when two people of different masses sit on a seesaw at different distances from the pivot. Torque is a measure of the force that can cause an object to rotate about an axis, and is calculated by the product of the force applied and the distance from the pivot point to where the force is applied, with torque (au) given by the equation au = r imes F, where r is the distance from the pivot and F is the force due to gravity (mass imes gravity).
In this case, the force due to gravity for person 1 is 94 kg imes 9.8 m/s^2, and for person 2 it is 42 kg imes 9.8 m/s^2. Thus, the torques for each person are:
- Person 1: Torque = 0.8 m imes (94 kg imes 9.8 m/s^2)
- Person 2: Torque = 12 m imes (42 kg imes 9.8 m/s^2)
Adding these two torques will give us the total torque on the pivot.
