- #1
LizzleBizzle
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Homework Statement
"Three people are carrying a horizontal ladder 4.00 m long. One of them holds the front end of the ladder, and the other two hold opposite sides of the ladder the same distance from its far end. What is the distance of the latter two people from the far end of the ladder if each person supports one-third of the ladder's weight?"
Homework Equations
T=F*l
ET=0
The Attempt at a Solution
I drew a picture of the ladder with one person in the front, and two people (x) distance away from the opposite end of the ladder. So, x is the distance from the two people to the far end, and 4-x is the distance of the front person from the two people.
Each holds one-third of the ladder's weight.
I decided I'd set the axis of rotation as the far end of the ladder and set up my equilibrium equation, so...
ET = (2/3w)(x) + (1/3w)(4-x) = 0
And then I kind of got stuck after fiddling around with my equation and getting, uh, nowhere. Tried to throw in a center of gravity equation and realized that wasn't really helping me. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Liz