Math - How do I do this? (:

Question

to balance the board in the diagram, the distance(in feet) of each object from the center of the board must vary inversely with its weight (in pounds). What is the distance of the suitcase from the fulcrum?

the fulcrum is in the center

there is a person standing on the right side of the fulcrum and weighs 80lb

there is a 20lb bag on the left side

the distance between the bag and the human is 10ft

the distance between the bag and the fulcrum is dft

Answer 1

The products of the weight and distances from the fulcrum must be equal in order to balance.

Since the bag is d feet away, the product on the left side of the fulcrum is 20 * d

Since the bag is 10 feet from the person, the person is 10-d feet from the fulcrum. The product on the right side of the fulcrum is 80 * (10-d)

Now you can set up your equation and solve for d

20d = 80(10-d)