Balance Lab

Purpose (write your own)

Question
How does mass and pivot distance affect the clockwise and anticlockwise moments?
Hypothesis
If the ________ is increased/decreased on the clockwise end of the seesaw then the
anticlockwise moment will increase/decrease because ..
Materials (draw a labelled diagram of set up)
Procedure (write a clear, numbered list of instructions. At least 5-6 steps)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Balance the ruler on top of the pivot.

.
.
.
.

Results
Title
Anticlockwise
Force (N)

Distance from
the pivot (cm)

Clockwise
Moment
(N cm)

Force (N)

Distance from
the pivot (cm)

Moment
(N cm)

Evaluation and Conclusion (complete sentences, paragraph format)

1. What do you notice about the two moments when the ruler balances?
2. How accurate and reliable were your measurements? Explain
3. Explain how you could change your investigation to get better results? *Hint think about
the Reliability of your investigation and how well you followed proper experiment design.
4. Do you have enough valid results to be sure of your conclusion? Explain.