Search for question
Question

When you push down on the handle of a doll-like wooden nutcracker, its jaw pivots upward to crack a nut. The figure shows this schematically, with the “jaw” as the shortend of a strong bar pivoted at the red dot.

The point at which you push down on the handle is five times as far from the pivot as the point at which the jaw pushes on the nut. You exert a force of F₁ = 24 N perpendicular to the handle, and the nut isn't cracking yet. In this balanced situation, what is the force F2 exerted by the nut perpendicular to the lever arm formed by the jaw (indicated by the arrow on the right).

Fig: 1

Fig: 2

Fig: 3

Fig: 4