Balanced is a daily balance and center of mass game
Balanced is a center of mass game (centre of mass, in British spelling) played entirely by eye. An irregular object, heavy at one end and hollowed out at the other, sits above a fulcrum. Slide the fulcrum to the one point where the object would hold level, then let go and watch. You are guessing where the weight of the shape really lies, not where its middle is.
The further the object tips, the further you were from its balance point, and that is what each round is scored on. Five shapes a day, one attempt each, and the same five for everyone.
Why the balance point is hard to see
An object balances at its center of mass, the average position of all its weight. For a uniform ruler that is the middle. For anything lopsided it shifts toward the heavy end, often further than it looks. It is easy to guess too close to the middle, because the eye judges length far better than it judges mass.
How to find a balance point by eye
Balanced works as an intuition drill for physics and engineering students, and as a one-minute warm-up for a lesson on moments and center of gravity.
- Ignore the midpoint of the outline. Ask where the material is, not where the edges are.
- Weigh the ends against each other. A thick end near the pivot can balance a thin end far away, the same way a seesaw works.
- Discount hollows and cut-outs. Empty space takes up width on screen but carries no weight.
- Read the tip. If the object falls toward its heavy end, your fulcrum sat too far from that end.
Questions
- What is a center of mass game?
- It is a game where you find where an object balances, by eye. In Balanced you slide a fulcrum under an irregular shape, release it, and are scored on how far it tips.
- Is center of mass the same as center of gravity?
- For everyday objects, yes: they sit at the same point. They only differ when gravity changes noticeably across an object, such as a very tall structure.
- Why does the object tip toward its heavy end?
- Your fulcrum was too far from that end. Move your next guess toward the thicker, denser side.
- Is Balanced free?
- Yes. It runs free in any browser with no download or sign-up, and new shapes arrive at midnight local time.
Balanced is one of the free daily estimation games on Freehand. The others: Halved, cut it in half game; Dropped, projectile game; Angled, angle game; Counted, guess how many game; and Timed, time estimation game.