A juggler must perform a trick in which he crosses a narrow bridge juggling 3 balls. He weighs 80 kg and each one of the balls weighs 10 kg. However, the bridge can hold only 100 kg before breaking. The lion tamer said that as long as he kept one ball in the air, the bridge won’t collapse. Is he correct?
Answer
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In fact, the lion tamer was wrong. Since each ball weighs 10 kg, it takes more than 10 kg to throw a ball into the air. Add that to the weight of the juggler and the weight of the balls he is holding, and the total will be over 100 kg. Therefore, the bridge he is standing on will collapse.
