Balance Draw Puzzle: Draw the Counterweight

How to play Draw the Counterweight

Draw the Counterweight is a balance draw puzzle about the oldest machine in the world: the lever. Every level starts with a seesaw that is leaning because of the metal weights fixed to it. You fix it with a drawing. Sketch a closed shape above the beam, let go, and it drops onto the seesaw and sticks where it lands. Get the size and position right and the beam settles perfectly level.

1. Read the weights on the beam and notice which way the seesaw leans.
2. Pick a spot on the light side. The metre marks on the beam show the distance from the pivot.
3. Draw a closed outline above that spot. The label next to your pen shows roughly how heavy it is.
4. Let go. The shape falls, sticks to the beam and the seesaw swings.
5. Keep the bubble between the green marks of the level gauge for three seconds to win.

Tips for balancing

• Weight times distance. A 2 kg weight 3 metres from the pivot is balanced by 3 kg at 2 metres, or 6 kg at 1 metre. Multiply, then match the other side.
• Far out saves ink. The further your shape lands from the pivot, the smaller it needs to be. Low-ink levels are designed around this trick.
• Squares are easy to judge. A square 1 metre wide weighs 1 kg; 1.4 metres wide weighs about 2 kg. Circles and blobs work too, as long as the outline is closed.
• Watch the beam itself. When the pivot is not in the middle of the plank, the longer side of the beam is heavier and counts as extra weight.
• Too far one way? Restart. Shapes stick where they land, so if you overshoot, press restart and draw a slightly smaller or closer shape.

Levels and ideas you will meet

The first puzzles have a single weight and plenty of ink, so you can get a feel for how big a shape needs to be. Then come several weights on both sides, a level where tight ink forces you to use the full length of the lever, a beam with an off-centre pivot, and a seesaw that is almost balanced already and only needs a tiny pebble. Later levels put two seesaws side by side, so you draw one shape for each and both must be level at the same time, including pairs with off-centre pivots and a mix of light and heavy weights.

Learn torque by drawing

Balance puzzles are a classic way to learn about levers, and this one lets you feel the maths instead of only reading it. Torque, the turning effect of a force, equals weight times distance from the pivot. When the torques on both sides match, the seesaw stays level. Because your drawing's weight depends on its area, you also practise estimating areas: doubling the width of a square makes it four times heavier. It is a calm, thoughtful puzzle that works well for curious kids, students revising physics and adults who just like a satisfying click when everything lines up.

Why it feels so good

There is no timer and no enemy, just you, a pen and a stubborn plank. Each attempt takes a few seconds, the level gauge tells you instantly whether you went too big or too small, and your next shape is always a little better judged than the last. When the bubble finally slides between the green marks and the countdown runs out, the satisfaction is the same as hanging a picture perfectly straight on the first try.

More drawing puzzles

Stack your own blocks into a tower in Doodle Tower, bring two balls together with one line in Draw Puzzle, or connect the dots in a single stroke inOne Line Draw Puzzle.