Problem of the Week
for Friday, October 22
Mom insists that you take your brother and sister to the playground.
You decide to take them on the seesaw. Your brother (who weighs sixty pounds) sits on one end,
and your baby sister (who weighs thirty pounds) sits three feet in front of him. You weigh ninty pounds.
How far in from the other end should you sit so that you balance? Explain.
| Nicholas' Solution: If your brother (60 pounds) and your sister (30 pounds) were each 45 pounds, then you would sit halfway (1 1/2 feet) from the end. Since your brother's weight is 2/3 of the weight on that side of the seesaw and of your weight and your sister's weight is 1/3, then you sit 2/3 closer to your brother. So you sit 1 foot away from the end. |
An interactive solution:
email answers to rmann@saintannsny.org