At the ends of the balanced arm, forces 78.4 Newtons and 235.2 Newtons act.

At the ends of the balanced arm, forces 78.4 Newtons and 235.2 Newtons act. The smaller arm is 0.5 meters, determine the length of the larger arm

Given:

P1 = 78.4 Newton – the value of the first force acting on one of the ends of the lever;

P2 = 235.2 Newton – the value of the second force acting on the opposite end of the lever;

l2 = 0.5 meters – the length of the smaller lever arm.

It is required to determine l1 (meter) – the length of the larger lever arm.

Since, according to the condition of the problem, the lever is in equilibrium, then, according to the rule of the lever, a greater force acts on a shorter arm, and a smaller force acts on a longer arm:

P1 * l1 = P2 * l2, from here we get that:

l1 = P2 * l2 / P1 = 235.2 * 0.5 / 78.4 = 117.6 / 78.4 = 1.5 meters.

Answer: The length of the larger lever arm is 1.5 meters.