Seesaw

High school (ages 12+)
Sports & Games

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/seesaw

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the mechanical classification?Class 1 Lever
2. What is the primary pivot location?Midpoint of the board
3. What is a seesaw and how does it work?A seesaw is a playground board that rocks back and forth. It works like a lever, with a pivot in the middle. When one person pushes down, the other side goes up.
4. Why does the board go up when I push down on the other side?Pushing down creates a torque around the pivot. Gravity pulls on the board and the people, so as one side goes down, the other must go up.

Fulcrum: The fixed point around which a lever pivots, in this case, the central support.
Torque: A twisting or turning force that causes rotation around an axis.
Kinesthetic Intelligence: The ability to use one's whole body or parts of the body to solve problems or create products.