Suspended rod balancing weights at m, a and n
Twin lever figures: the load at n needed to match the weight at a equals that at m
Two figures of a suspended horizontal rod are drawn, the upper one hung from a pulley at left, with weights marked 2, 4 and 2 and points labelled m, a and n. The note states that the weight required at n to balance the weight placed at a is exactly the same as the weight needed at m. The paired diagrams illustrate symmetric loading about the central support.
On this page
Equal weight at n and at m balances the load at a
The problem asks what weight at point n will balance the weight placed at a, and answers that it is exactly the same as the weight required at m. The marked values 4 and 2 fix the loads distributed along the arm.
Rod suspended from a pulley
The upper figure hangs the horizontal rod from a small pulley at the left, its cord carrying one of the marked weights, while the lower figure rests the rod on a central prop with weights slung at either end.