Show that if a physical balance has arm lengths and

PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · System of Particles and Rotational Motion · System of Particles and Rotational Motion

Problem

Show that if a physical balance has arm lengths

l_1

and

l_2

, and an object balances standard weights

W_1

when kept in the left pan and

W_2

when kept in the right pan, the true mass

m

of the object is given by

m = \sqrt{W_1 W_2}

. State any assumptions made.