How Much Force Does Stephen Need to Overcome the Brick with a Wheelbarrow?

Click For Summary
Stephen needs to apply a force of 190 N along the handles of the wheelbarrow to just start lifting it over a 7.83 cm high brick. The downward force exerted on the wheel is 389 N, and the wheel's radius is 20.3 cm. The forces acting on both the wheel and the brick must balance for static equilibrium, meaning the force from the wheel on the brick equals the force from the brick on the wheel. The direction of the force from the brick is 15.0° above the horizontal, opposite to the downward force from the wheel. Accurate calculations and a free-body diagram are essential for solving these types of physics problems.
ramin86
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
6. [PSE6 12.P.022.] Stephen is pushing his sister Joyce in a wheelbarrow when it is stopped by a brick 7.83 cm high (Fig. P12.22). The handles make an angle of 15.0° below the horizontal. A downward force of 389 N is exerted on the wheel, which has a radius of 20.3 cm.

There was a similar problem in the book, so I used the formulas that they had in there.

(a) What force must Stephen apply along the handles in order to just start the wheel over the brick?
N
For this one, I did F= mg * sqrt(2rh-h^2)/(2r-h), with mg = 389N, and the radius of .203m, and a height of .0783m, and I came up with 190N, however, the answer turned out wrong.

(b) What is the force (magnitude and direction) that the brick exerts on the wheel just as the wheel begins to lift over the brick? Assume in both parts that the brick remains fixed and does not slide along the ground.
Magnitude
kN
For this, I did R = sqrt((mg)^2) + F^2), again turned out wrong

(c)Direction
And for this, I used tan = mg/f and solved for theta, however, it turned out wrong as well.
° above the horizontal (to the left)

If someone can please help, it would be greatly appreciated. Here is a link to the diagram: http://www.webassign.net/pse/p12-11.gif
 
Physics news on Phys.org


To help with this problem, let's break it down into smaller parts and use some basic principles of static equilibrium. First, let's draw a free-body diagram for the wheel and the brick. The forces acting on the wheel are the downward force of 389 N, the normal force from the ground, and the force from Stephen pushing on the handles. The forces acting on the brick are the normal force from the ground and the force from the wheel pushing on it.

Now, let's analyze the forces in the vertical direction. Since the wheel is not moving vertically, the sum of the vertical forces must be equal to zero. This means that the normal force from the ground must be equal to the downward force of 389 N.

Next, let's look at the forces in the horizontal direction. Since the wheel is not moving horizontally, the sum of the horizontal forces must also be equal to zero. This means that the force from Stephen pushing on the handles must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force from the wheel pushing on the brick.

Now, let's look at the forces at the point where the wheel and the brick meet. At this point, the forces from the wheel and the brick must cancel each other out in order for the wheel to be in static equilibrium. This means that the force from the wheel must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force from the brick.

Using these principles, we can now solve for the force that Stephen must apply along the handles in order to just start the wheel over the brick. Since the force from the wheel and the brick must cancel each other out, we can set the magnitude of these forces equal to each other. This means that F = mg * sqrt(2rh-h^2)/(2r-h) = 389 N. Solving for F, we get F = 190 N.

For part (b), we can use the same principles to solve for the force that the brick exerts on the wheel. Since the forces from the wheel and the brick must cancel each other out, the magnitude of the force from the brick must be equal to the magnitude of the force from the wheel, which we found to be 190 N. The direction of this force will be opposite to the direction of the force from the wheel, which is 15.0° below the horizontal. This means that the force from the brick will be 15.0° above the horizontal
 
The book claims the answer is that all the magnitudes are the same because "the gravitational force on the penguin is the same". I'm having trouble understanding this. I thought the buoyant force was equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. Weight depends on mass which depends on density. Therefore, due to the differing densities the buoyant force will be different in each case? Is this incorrect?

Similar threads

  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
10K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
6K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
5
Views
6K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
7K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
9K
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
4K