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Seesaw: Difference between revisions

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teeter-totter word origin Norfolk language
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Seesaws, and the eagerness of children to play with them, are also used to aid in mechanical processes. For example, at the [[Gaviotas]] community in [[Colombia]], a children's seesaw is connected to a water [[pump]].
Seesaws, and the eagerness of children to play with them, are also used to aid in mechanical processes. For example, at the [[Gaviotas]] community in [[Colombia]], a children's seesaw is connected to a water [[pump]].

In the United States a SeeSaw is also called a "teeter-totter". This terms originates from the [[Norfuk language | Norfolk]] language word “Tittermatorter”, according to [[Peter Trudgill]], a linguistics expert who can trace all his great great-grandparents to a small patch of eastern Norfolk.


For the mechanics of a seesaw, see [[lever]]. The simple mechanics of a seesaw make them appear frequently in school exam paper questions on mechanical problems.
For the mechanics of a seesaw, see [[lever]]. The simple mechanics of a seesaw make them appear frequently in school exam paper questions on mechanical problems.
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[[th:กระดานหก]]
[[th:กระดานหก]]
[[zh:蹺蹺板]]
[[zh:蹺蹺板]]
*[http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_SRVVNPV]

Revision as of 16:54, 5 September 2007

Modern seesaws have springs for safer play.
A set of playground seesaws.
Makeshift seesaws are used for acrobatics.

A seesaw (also known as a teeter-totter) is a long, narrow board suspended in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.

In a playground setting, the board is balanced in the exact center. A person sits on each end and they take turns pushing their feet against the ground to lift their end into the air. Playground seesaws usually have handles for the riders to grip as they sit facing each other. One problem with the seesaw's design is that if a heavier child allows himself/herself to hit the ground suddenly after jumping, or exits the seesaw at the bottom, the lighter child may fall and be injured. For this reason, seesaws are often mounted above a soft surface such as foam or wood chips.

In dog agility, the board is off balance so that the same end always returns to the ground after the dog has run across it.

Seesaws are also used in acrobatics, mainly to propel an acrobat on the shorter end into the air.

Seesaws, and the eagerness of children to play with them, are also used to aid in mechanical processes. For example, at the Gaviotas community in Colombia, a children's seesaw is connected to a water pump.

For the mechanics of a seesaw, see lever. The simple mechanics of a seesaw make them appear frequently in school exam paper questions on mechanical problems.