Use household items to demonstrate the science behind see-saws
What you need:
- teaspoon
- tape
- small ruler
- coins
What to do:
- Balance the ruler on the spoon by placing it in the centre. Add a piece of tape to keep it in the right place.
- Add a stack of coins (the same number of coins) to each end of the ruler. When you have them in the right position they will balance.
- Add one more coin to one of the stacks. This end will now be heavier and will hit the ground.
- Move the larger stack of coins towards the centre until you find the point where they balance.
- Repeat this with more coins.
https://youtu.be/embed/hljXUX7q1FY
What happens:
The heavier stack of coins needs to be closer to the centre to balance. This is how levers work. The closer a weight is to the centre, the less force is required to lift/move it. So the large weight can be balanced by a smaller one, if the smaller weight is further from the centre.
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