A force of 800N acts on a short shoulder of 30 cm. the lever is in balance. Determine the force acting

A force of 800N acts on a short shoulder of 30 cm. the lever is in balance. Determine the force acting on the long arm of 1.2 m.

Given:

a = 30 centimeters = 0.3 meters – the length of the short arm of the lever;

b = 1.2 meters – the length of the long arm of the lever;

F1 = 800 Newton – the force applied to the short arm of the lever.

It is required to determine F2 (Newton) – the force applied to the long arm of the lever.

Since, according to the condition of the problem, the lever is in equilibrium, in order to determine the force, it is necessary to use the following formula (the rule of the lever):

F1 * a = F2 * b;

F2 = F1 * a / b;

F2 = 800 * 0.3 / 1.2 = 240 / 1.2 = 200 Newton (0.2 kN).

Answer: a force equal to 200 Newtons is applied to the long arm of the lever