Question

two children on a seesaw are able to balance perfectly while on earth. would they still be balanced if the seesaw was brought to the moon? (1 point) no, they would not be balanced because their weights would change yes, they would still be balanced because their weights would not change yes, they would still be balanced because their masses would not change no, they would not be balanced because their masses would change

Explanation:

• Mass is an intrinsic property of an object and does not change with location. Weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity ($F = mg$, where $m$ is mass and $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity). On the moon, $g$ is about $\frac{1}{6}$ of that on Earth.
• For a seesaw to balance, the torques on either side must be equal. Torque $\tau= rF$ (where $r$ is the distance from the pivot and $F$ is the force). If two children balance on Earth ($\tau_1 = r_1m_1g_{Earth}$ and $\tau_2 = r_2m_2g_{Earth}$, and $\tau_1=\tau_2$ so $r_1m_1 = r_2m_2$), on the moon, $\tau_1'=r_1m_1g_{Moon}$ and $\tau_2'=r_2m_2g_{Moon}$. Since $r_1m_1 = r_2m_2$, $\tau_1'=\tau_2'$. The fact that their masses ($m$) don't change is crucial.

Answer:

Yes, they would still be balanced because their masses would not change.