Understanding Moments
Moments are what make things turn around a pivot point, like a seesaw at the playground. The moment is simply the force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the pivot.
Here's the key formula you need: Moment (Nm) = Force (N) × distance . Forces on the right of a pivot create clockwise moments, whilst forces on the left create anticlockwise moments.
For something to stay balanced (like a perfectly still seesaw), the clockwise and anticlockwise moments must be equal. This means if you've got a heavy object on one side, it needs to be closer to the pivot than a lighter object on the other side.
Quick Tip: You can actually use this principle to find the weight of unknown objects – just balance them against something you know the weight of!
