Push up weight distrubtion problem

[Nefarious]

Homework Statement

While doing push ups part of the weight of an 80kg young man is supported by his hands and part by his feet. His center mass is located 60cm from his hands and 1m from his feet. (The hand ot feet distance is 1.6m) How much of the total weight is supported by his hands? How much of the weight is supported by his feet? Use the feet as the pivotal point.

Homework Equations

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The Attempt at a Solution

I don't even know where to start...It's just completely escaped my mind. This was a question on a test we had last week and I'm quite anxious to figure out how to do it.

 

[deerhake.11]

You need to use the forces and the torques to figure this out.

Knowing that the forces of the hands and feet are equal to the weight and that the torques likewise cancel out, you should have 2 equations and 2 unknowns.

 

[ogb p]

I would approach this problem by first defining the key concepts and variables involved. In this case, the key concepts are weight distribution and center of mass, while the variables are the weight of the man (80kg), the distance between his hands and feet (1.6m), and the distances of his center of mass from his hands (60cm) and feet (1m).

Next, I would use the concept of moments to solve this problem. Moments, also known as torques, are the forces that cause rotation. In this case, we can calculate the moments acting on the man's body by multiplying the weight by the distance from the pivot point (feet in this case).

Using this approach, we can calculate the moment acting on the man's body from his hands as follows:

Moment from hands = Weight of man x Distance from hands to pivot point
= 80kg x 0.6m
= 48 Nm

Similarly, we can calculate the moment from his feet as:
Moment from feet = Weight of man x Distance from feet to pivot point
= 80kg x 1m
= 80 Nm

Since these two moments are acting in opposite directions, we can set them equal to each other and solve for the weight supported by his hands:

48 Nm = 80 Nm - Weight supported by hands
Weight supported by hands = 80 Nm - 48 Nm
= 32 Nm

Therefore, 32 Nm of the total weight of 80kg is supported by his hands, and the remaining 48 Nm is supported by his feet.

In conclusion, by using the concept of moments and understanding the principles of weight distribution and center of mass, we can solve this problem and determine the weight supported by the man's hands and feet during a push up exercise.