Balance can be a tricky concept. It requires an understanding of equilibrium and how different forces interact. Riddles about balance challenge us to think deeply about these ideas in creative ways. Solving these riddles requires lateral thinking to find the solution that brings things into equilibrium. This collection of 67 balance riddles with answers puts your reasoning skills to the test!
Part 1: Simple balance riddles (1-10)
Riddle 1
What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
Answer: A clock.
Riddle 2
What goes up and down but always remains in the same place?
Answer: Stairs.
Riddle 3
What has rings but no fingers?
Answer: A tree.
Riddle 4
What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
Riddle 5
What has teeth but cannot bite?
Answer: A comb.
Riddle 6
What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
Riddle 7
What has a bed but never sleeps, and runs but never walks?
Answer: A river.
Riddle 8
What has four legs but can’t walk?
Answer: A table.
Riddle 9
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
Riddle 10
What has hands but can not clap?
Answer: A clock.
Part 2: Balance beam riddles (11-20)
Riddle 11
A balance beam is 6 feet long. There is a weight 3 feet from the left end. How far from the right end should a 10-pound weight be placed so the beam will balance?
Answer: 1 foot.
Riddle 12
Sally weighs 80 pounds and is standing 2 feet from the left end of a 10 foot balance beam. How many pounds must be placed on the right end for the beam to be perfectly balanced?
Answer: 320 pounds.
Riddle 13
If a 30-pound weight is placed 4 feet from the left end of a 12-foot balance beam, how many pounds must be placed on the right end to balance the beam?
Answer: 90 pounds.
Riddle 14
Jenny weighs 100 pounds. She’s standing at the very left end of a 20 foot seesaw. Her friend Tom weighs 60 pounds. How far from the right should Tom stand to perfectly balance the seesaw?
Answer: 12 feet.
Riddle 15
Ann weighs 80 pounds and stands 3 feet from the left end of a 6 foot teeter-totter plank. To balance it, how many pounds must be placed at the very end of the right side?
Answer: 160 pounds.
Riddle 16
On a 12 foot lever, a 50-pound weight is placed two feet from the fulcrum. To balance the lever, how many pounds need to be placed 8 feet from the fulcrum on the opposite side?
Answer: 150 pounds.
Riddle 17
An 80-pound girl is sitting 5 feet from the left end of a 10 foot seesaw. Her brother weighs 60 pounds. How far from the right end should he sit to balance the seesaw?
Answer: 2 feet.
Riddle 18
A 50-pound weight is placed 3 feet from the left end of a 9 foot lever. To balance the lever, how many pounds must be placed 4 feet from the right end?
Answer: 75 pounds.
Riddle 19
Sarah weighs 100 pounds and sits 2 feet from the left end of a 6 foot teeter-totter. How far should her 60 pound brother sit from the right end to make the teeter-totter level?
Answer: 4 feet.
Riddle 20
Tim weighs 80 pounds. He sits at the very left end of a 12 foot seesaw. His sister weighs 40 pounds. How far from the right end should she sit to perfectly balance the seesaw?
Answer: 4 feet.
Part 3: Scales riddles (21-30)
Riddle 21
You have a balance scale with two empty pans. On the left pan, you place 6 identical apples. To balance the scale, how many identical apples do you need to place on the right pan?
Answer: 6 apples.
Riddle 22
You have a simple balance scale with two pans. On the left pan, you place a 10 pound weight. To balance the scale, how many 5 pound weights would you need to place on the right pan?
Answer: 2 weights.
Riddle 23
You have a balance scale with 3 rocks on the left pan weighing 5 pounds total. To balance the scale, you must place 2 rocks on the right pan weighing a total of how many pounds?
Answer: 5 pounds.
Riddle 24
You place 3 identical apples on the left pan of a balance scale. To even out the scale, you must place 5 identical apples on the right pan. How much does each apple weigh?
Answer: 3 ounces.
Riddle 25
You put 2 identical rocks on the left pan of a balance scale. You then place 5 identical rocks on the right pan to balance the scale. If the 2 rocks on the left weigh a total of 6 pounds, how much does each rock on the right weigh?
Answer: 1.2 pounds.
Riddle 26
You have a balance scale with 4 pennies on the left pan weighing a total of 4 grams. To balance the scale, you place 3 quarters on the right pan. How much does each quarter weigh?
Answer: 4 grams.
Riddle 27
You place a 5 pound weight on the left pan of a balance scale. To even out the scale, you must place 2 objects weighing a total of 5 pounds on the right pan. If the 2 objects weigh the same amount, how much does each object weigh?
Answer: 2.5 pounds.
Riddle 28
You put a 10 ounce coffee mug on the left pan of a balance scale. To even out the scale, you place 5 identical candy bars on the right pan. If the candy bars weigh a total of 10 ounces, how much does each candy bar weigh?
Answer: 2 ounces.
Riddle 29
You place a 20 pound weight on the left pan of a balance scale. To balance the scale, you must place 4 boxes of equal weight on the right pan. What is the weight of each box?
Answer: 5 pounds.
Riddle 30
You put 2 rocks weighing a total of 8 ounces on the left pan of a balance scale. To even out the scale, you place 3 rocks of equal weight on the right pan. How much does each rock on the right pan weigh?
Answer: 2 ounces.
Part 4: Fulcrum balance riddles (31-40)
Riddle 31
On a see-saw, two children of equal weight sit on opposite ends of a 6 foot board. Susie sits 1 foot from the fulcrum. How far from the fulcrum does Joey sit?
Answer: 5 feet.
Riddle 32
Two children balance on opposite ends of an 8 foot see-saw. Jack weighs 50 pounds and sits 2 feet from the fulcrum. Jill weighs 25 pounds. How many feet is she from the fulcrum?
Answer: 6 feet.
Riddle 33
Ann weighs 100 pounds and sits 3 feet left of the fulcrum on a 10 foot teeter-totter. Her brother weighs 50 pounds. How far to the right of the fulcrum should he sit to balance the teeter-totter?
Answer: 7 feet.
Riddle 34
Jen and Kate balance perfectly on a 5 foot long see-saw. Jen weighs 120 pounds and sits 1 foot from the center. How far is 60 pound Kate from the center fulcrum?
Answer: 4 feet.
Riddle 35
Liz is 40 pounds. She sits on the left end of a 6 foot long see-saw, 2 feet from the fulcrum. Her friend Ben weighs 80 pounds. How far from the fulcrum should he sit to balance the see-saw?
Answer: 4 feet.
Riddle 36
A 100-pound girl sits at the left end of an 8 foot teeter-totter, 3 feet from the pivot point. Her brother weighs 50 pounds. How far to the right of the pivot should he sit to evenly balance the teeter-totter?
Answer: 5 feet.
Riddle 37
Sam weighs 60 pounds. He sits on the left side of a 10 foot see-saw, 4 feet from the balance point. His sister weighs 30 pounds. How far from the balance point should she sit on the right to make the see-saw level?
Answer: 6 feet.
Riddle 38
A 20-pound weight hangs 2 feet from the fulcrum of a 6 foot lever. How many pounds must hang 4 feet on the other side to balance the lever?
Answer: 10 pounds.
Riddle 39
A 5-pound apple hangs 3 feet from the balance point of a 9 foot branch. How many feet should a 10-pound rock hang on the other side to balance the branch perfectly?
Answer: 6 feet.
Riddle 40
A 100-pound boulder presses down 2 feet from the balance point of a 15 foot wooden plank. How many pounds should be placed 8 feet from the other end to make the opposite side tip up evenly?
Answer: 400 pounds.
Part 5: Weight distribution riddles (41-50)
Riddle 41
You have a 6 foot wooden board. You place a 10 pound weight 3 feet from the left end. Where should you place a 5 pound weight to balance the board?
Answer: 1 foot from the right end.
Riddle 42
You have a 10 foot plank. You put a 50 pound weight on the left side, 2 feet from the end. To balance the plank, where should you put a 20 pound weight?
Answer: 4 feet from the right end.
Riddle 43
You need to balance a 15 foot long board using weights. You place a 5 lb weight at the 2 foot mark. Where should you put a 20 lb weight to balance the board evenly?
Answer: 13 feet.
Riddle 44
You have a 12 foot wooden plank. You place a 10 pound weight at the 3 foot mark. Where should you place a 5 pound weight to make the plank balance evenly?
Answer: 9 feet.
Riddle 45
A 30 foot steel beam has a 50 lb weight hanging 5 feet from the left end. Where should you hang a 100 lb weight to balance the beam?
Answer: 20 feet from the right.
Riddle 46
A 20 foot board has a 25 pound weight placed at the 4 foot mark. To evenly balance the board, a 10 pound weight should be placed how many feet from the right end?
Answer: 12 feet.
Riddle 47
A 6 foot lever has a 5 lb weight placed 1 foot from the left end. To balance the lever, where should a 10 lb weight be placed?
Answer: 5 feet from the right.
Riddle 48
A 9 foot plank has a 10 pound weight placed at the 1 foot mark. To evenly balance the plank, where should you put a 5 pound weight?
Answer: 8 feet.
Riddle 49
You need to balance a 12 foot board with some weights. If you place a 50 lb weight at the 3 foot mark, where should you place a 100 lb weight to make the board level?
Answer: 9 feet.
Riddle 50
You have a 15 foot steel beam. You hang a 10 lb weight at the 5 foot mark. Where should you place a 20 lb weight to evenly balance the beam?
Answer: 10 feet.
Part 6: Weight balancing riddles (51-60)
Riddle 51
You’re given 20 identical steel balls. You place 7 of them on a balance scale and it tips down on that side. How many steel balls should you add to the other side for the scale to balance out?
Answer: 7 balls.
Riddle 52
You have 9 identical rocks. You place 4 of them on the left pan of a balance scale, and it tips down on that side. To balance the scale, how many rocks should you place on the empty right pan?
Answer: 4 rocks.
Riddle 53
You have 12 marbles. You put 8 of them on one side of a two-pan balance, and that side sinks down. How many marbles should you put on the other side to make the balance level again?
Answer: 8 marbles.
Riddle 54
You have 5 identical apples. You place 2 apples on the left pan of a balance scale. How many apples should you place on the right empty pan to make the scale balanced?
Answer: 2 apples.
Riddle 55
You are given 8 identical rubber balls. You put 3 balls on the left pan of a balance scale and it sinks down on that side. How many balls should you place on the right pan to balance the scale again?
Answer: 3 balls.
Riddle 56
You have 10 pennies. You place 6 pennies on the left pan of a balance scale. How many pennies should go on the right pan to make the scale perfectly level?
Answer: 6 pennies.
Riddle 57
You are given 7 identical rocks. You put 3 of the rocks on the left pan of a balance scale. How many rocks should you put on the empty right pan to make the scale balanced?
Answer: 3 rocks.
Riddle 58
You have 12 quarters. You place 5 quarters on the left pan of a balance scale and it tips down. How many quarters should you add to the right pan to make the scale level again?
Answer: 5 quarters.
Riddle 59
You’re given 15 identical gumballs. You place 6 gumballs on the left pan of a balance scale. How many gumballs should you place on the right pan to balance it out?
Answer: 6 gumballs.
Riddle 60
You have 10 identical oranges. You put 4 oranges on the left pan of a balance scale. How many oranges should you put on the right pan to make both sides exactly equal?
Answer: 4 oranges.
Part 7: Weight and distance riddles (61-67)
Riddle 61
A 10 foot plank is balanced on a fulcrum exactly in the middle. On one end of the plank is a 5 pound weight, 2 feet from the fulcrum. How far from the fulcrum should an 8 pound weight be placed to balance the plank?
Answer: 3 feet.
Riddle 62
A 6 foot lever is balanced on its center point. On one side, 3 feet from the fulcrum, hangs a 5 pound weight. How far on the other side should an 8 pound weight hang to balance the lever evenly?
Answer: 2 feet.
Riddle 63
A 20 foot beam is balanced exactly in its middle. On one end, 8 feet from the balance point, a 50 pound crate hangs. How far on the other end should a 100 pound weight be placed to make the beam level?
Answer: 12 feet.
Riddle 64
A 15 foot plank balances evenly on a fulcrum located precisely at its midpoint. On one side, 4 feet from the fulcrum, rests a 10 pound object. How far on the opposite side should a 20 pound object be placed to keep the plank balanced?
Answer: 11 feet.
Riddle 65
A 12 foot steel bar is balanced on a pivot at its very center. 2 feet from the pivot on one side hangs a 5 pound weight. How far on the other side should a 10 pound weight be hung to keep the steel bar perfectly level?
Answer: 10 feet.
Riddle 66
A 9 foot long board balances evenly on a pivot point at its midpoint. 3 feet to the left of the pivot is a 10 pound mass. How many feet to the right of the pivot should a 15 pound mass be placed to keep the board balanced?
Answer: 6 feet.
Riddle 67
A 6 foot lever is balanced on a fulcrum at its center point. 2 feet to the left hangs a 5 pound weight. How many feet to the right of the fulcrum should an 8 pound weight hang to keep the lever perfectly balanced?
Answer: 4 feet.
Conclusion
Balancing riddles require an understanding of physical forces and how placing objects at different distances can create equilibrium. Solving these balance puzzles involves visualizing weight distribution and using mathematical logic. The riddles become progressively more challenging, building critical thinking skills with each answer. Mastering balance riddles helps develop skills in proportional reasoning and applying concepts of mass, distance and lever arms. With practice, you can improve your ability to find the solutions that will make both sides equal!
