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Old 09-09-2011, 11:26 PM   #2 (permalink)
Patrick
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Well the downward force on each side is the same, but the torques are different. The torque is the weight multiplied by the distance from the fulcrum (the pivot point). To figure the torques, multiply the weight that was on each end by the current distance from the pivot point. So you need to know the distance that the bar was moved. Subtract that from the midpoint for the short side and add it to the midpoint for the long side. Then multiply by the weight. To determine how much weight you need to add to the short side, divide the torque for the long side by the distance of the short side, then subtract the weight on the short side. This will make the torques equal and balance the system.
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