Northwestern Physics Demos                                 Go back to MECHANICS   
DCS#  1J40.40NWU#  Location:    
title: Loaded Beam
aka:  scales and board

Description:
Scales show equal weight distribution for the board.  This remains the same when a weight is added to the middle, but changes when the weight is moved closer to one end or the other.
   Scales can be covered by paper to allow asking quantitative questions involving the sum of vertical forces or the force needed to make the net torque zero.

Questions:
    Which scale will read more when the weights are moved to the left?
pix of set up
set up