Fig. 12. Equal masses balanced at equal distance from the center point.
When the masses are unequal the point is at unequal distances from the centers of the masses. These unequal distances have the same ratio as the masses themselves, but the larger mass is always the shorter distance from the point. If 1 pound is to balance 4 pounds it is obvious that the 1-pound mass must be 4 times as far from the point of balance as the 4-pound mass.
Fig. 13. Mass of 4 units balanced by 1 unit.
Hence, to balance two masses in a rectangle, the point of balance will be found by proportion, placing it on a line which divides the rectangle into parts of 2 to 3. The balancing of the masses across this point will then be a matter of determining their relative distances from it. It is apparent that the larger of two masses may be far enough from the point of balance so that it will force the smaller entirely out of the rectangle. It is of course easy to move the larger closer to the point which automatically brings in the smaller. What constitutes a proper distance from the edge of the rectangle will be discussed under “Margins,” in the book on Typographical Design.
Fig. 14. Mass of 3 units balanced by mass of 1 unit,
taking the point of balance upon the line which divides
the space in good proportion.