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Home Interactives Rotation and Balance Balance Beam

Balance Beam

The Balance Beam Interactive provides a tool to investigate the factors that affect the ability for different masses placed upon opposite sides of a balance beam to balance. Masses can easily be dragged to hooks along the beam, causing the beam to rotate downwards on the side it is placed. The challenge involves placing a different mass on the opposite side to counteract the first mass. By so arranging the masses to obtain balance, a learner can look for the patterns in the data - amount of mass and location of the mass from the fulcrum - in order to discover the rule of balance. Once you have discovered the rule, take the quiz.
🚀︎ Launch Interactive

Users are encouraged to open the Interactive and explore. For a more guided experience, The Physics Classroom has prepared an activity for use with this Interactive and encourages teachers to use it with their classes.

Learners and Instructors may also be interested in viewing the accompanying Notes page. Technical information, teaching suggestions, and related resources that complement this Interactive are provided on the Notes page. View Notes.

NEWOur Balance Beam simulation is now equipped with Task Tracker functionality. Learn more.