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Big Kid, Little Kid: The Center Of Mass On A Seesaw

Series: A Moment of Science
From: WFIU
Length: 00:02:02

2-minute science module. Read the full description.
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Big Kid, Little Kid: The Center Of Mass On A Seesaw
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WFIU

Amosfacebookbanner_small Remember seesaws? Those things were great. But there was often a problem.

Seesaw Fail?

Suppose there's a big kid on one side and a smaller kid on the other side. The seesaw just stays in one position: big kid on the ground, smaller kid up in the air. No fun.

After a few different tries, you probably realized that moving the big kid in toward the center made it possible to rock a little. Move the big kid even more and you can achieve balance. Now the seesaw works.

Center Of Mass

What's going on here? The answer is in the "center of mass."

Learn more on this A Moment of Science...

Big Kid, Little Kid: The Center Of Mass On A Seesaw | 00:02:02

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Piece Description

Remember seesaws? Those things were great. But there was often a problem.

Seesaw Fail?

Suppose there's a big kid on one side and a smaller kid on the other side. The seesaw just stays in one position: big kid on the ground, smaller kid up in the air. No fun.

After a few different tries, you probably realized that moving the big kid in toward the center made it possible to rock a little. Move the big kid even more and you can achieve balance. Now the seesaw works.

Center Of Mass

What's going on here? The answer is in the "center of mass."

Learn more on this A Moment of Science...

Related Website

http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/center-mass-seesaw/

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