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moenste
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Homework Statement
A uniform ladder which is 10 m long and weights 300 N leans with its upper end against a smooth vertical wall and its lower end on rough horizontal ground. The bottom of the ladder is 6 m from the base of the wall. A man weighting 700 N stands on the ladder at a point 6 m above the ground. Calculate the magnitudes and directions of the forces exerted on the ladder by (a) the wall, (b) the ground.
Answers: (a) 506 N at 90 degrees to the wall, (b) 1121 N at 63 degrees to the ground.
2. The attempt at a solution
At first I did a graph of the situation:
R = normal reaction to the wall, S = to the ground, F = friction (rough ground).
Find 8 by Pythagoras. S is = 700 N + 300 N = 1000 N.
And after this point I am a bit stuck. From a different book example I get:
(F * 8) + (300 * 3) + (700 * 1.5) = (S * 6)
8 F = 4050
F = 506.25 N
The answer looks right, but:
As I understand, the body is in equilibrium so in that case: normal reaction S (anti-clockwise) should be multipled by the perpendicular line which is 6 m -> (S * 6), then all of other forces which are facing clockwise direction should be used: we have F and we sort of move it to the left so the perpendicular line is 8 m (F * 8), two other clockwise forces are 700 and 300. 300 * 3 and 700 * 1.5 (the vertical side of the triangle is 2 m, the hypotenuse is 2.5 m and by Pythagoras the horizontal line is 1.5). So we get F = 506 N. But how to find the angle? Because F is a force directed towards the wall that is the reason why it is equal to 90? And why don't we take into account the R force?
And how to start with (b)?
Any help please?