Question
In order for two children to sit on a balanced seesaw, the weight of each child must be inversely related to the child’s distance from the fulcrum (which is the middle point of the seesaw). If Saroya weighs 62 pounds and is 6 feet from the fulcrum, how many feet should Nitish, who weighs 80 pounds, sit from the fulcrum on the other side in order to balance the seesaw?
4.65
5.00
6.45
8.26
9.30

Text Solution:
We have an inverse variation relationship between the weight (w) of each child and his distance (d) from the fulcrum. Thus, our initial equation is . We use the information about Saroya to determine the value of k by substituting 62 for w and 6 for d.
Now that we know that k is 372, our inverse variation equation is . Let’s now find how far Nitish, who weighs 80 pounds, must sit from the fulcrum so that the seesaw will be balanced.
Nitish should sit 4.65 feet from the fulcrum to balance the seesaw.