Lever...3

John, Peter and Jane weigh 80, 60 and 50 lbs respectively. John sits 3 ft., Peter sits 5 ft. and Jane sits 6 ft. from the fulcrum on the same side. How far must their 200 lb. father sits from the fulcrum in order to balance them?

This problem involves 3 people.

Father........f.......John.....Peter......Jane

Distance from father to f = x.
Distance from John to f = 3.
Distance from Peter to f = 5.
Distance from Jane to f = 6.

Equation

400x = 3(80) + 5(60) + 6(50)

You say?

 

No, this problem involves 4 people, John, Peter, Jane, and their father.

400x? The problem says that their father ways 200 pounds, not 400.

 

Big deal. I made a slight error.

Here is the right equation:

200(x) = 3(80) + 5(60) + 6(50)

 

Yes, and I misspelled "weighs". Oh, the shame!

 

Go take a course on how to deal with people online. You are a complicated person. Go to Gilligan's Island and get a massage from Ginger or Mary Ann.