Speed and Exam

[finder]

I am wondering how to maximize speed for measuring ratios. Obviously teamwork is a big part of it, but another problem that I was having was that the lever balances at a number of points. There is no exact point of perfect balance, instead there is usually a 1-3 cm range over which the lever can balance. The lever is made of wood. I was wondering how I could pinpoint the exact point of balance more quickly in order to calculate the ratios.
Also the exam does not seem to have many testable topics. Here is a list of topics which I thought could be on the test: IMA, AMA, efficiency, examples of compound machines, examples of simple machines. Is there anything that I seem to be missing?

Thank you.

[AwesomeSauceis1]

The only way to get truly faster is to practice (teamwork is the only part of it). If your lever is perfect (which is impossible), there will be one point of balance which will be virtually impossible to find. So you need to increase the precision of the lever in order to find a smaller area of balance faster.
In terms of the exam, you are missing topics. Guess where to find them.

[CPScienceDude]

I am wondering how to maximize speed for measuring ratios. Obviously teamwork is a big part of it, but another problem that I was having was that the lever balances at a number of points. There is no exact point of perfect balance, instead there is usually a 1-3 cm range over which the lever can balance. The lever is made of wood. I was wondering how I could pinpoint the exact point of balance more quickly in order to calculate the ratios.
Also the exam does not seem to have many testable topics. Here is a list of topics which I thought could be on the test: IMA, AMA, efficiency, examples of compound machines, examples of simple machines. Is there anything that I seem to be missing?

Thank you.

I have found that many practice tests also have Power and Work on them. I've also come across a test with angular velocity and tangential velocity.

Here is a good practice test: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gaHwk ... yvoYoTZss0

As for the lever, practice is the best way to improve. That, or build another lever with, hopefully, a higher degree of accuracy.

[finder]

Thank you for the links and the response.
Could you possibly help me with ideas on how to increase the precision of the lever? I do not know what the precision is dependent on

[CPScienceDude]

Thank you for the links and the response.
Could you possibly help me with ideas on how to increase the precision of the lever? I do not know what the precision is dependent on

Mainly decreasing the friction in the lever. You could try ball bearings on the fulcrums. Plus, if there is any scaping between wood it would be beneficial to either eliminate the scraping or just try to reduce it. Additionally, if your fulcrum runs through your lever arm (ex: a bolt through a yardstick), you can try to make the hole in the lever arm bigger to loosen things up.