Recent content by wysocki

The base I found in post #21 is 15" square and 55lbs. So how much force applied horizontally from a height of 30" would be needed to START this base tipping?

Yes, but I was kind of hoping to make the bases a bit less obtrusive and more aesthetic.

I'm learning so much in this forum! It's rewarding to find so many people still with science on the brain instead of politics. Anyway, sophiecentaur is right: this is pretty straightforward issue. Here's exactly what I'm looking to do. I want to build a small handrail for my pool steps without...

Hmm. Very interesting and informative. 6.9lbs seems like a small amount of pressure to start it tipping. But I did the same calculation on the commercial grade unit you show above. They're touted as 34lbs and from the man in the picture I would estimate 3.5' high and 1' leg on each side. With...

Yes, I should have made it more clear that I was looking for the INITIAL force to lift the slab. The dimensions of the slab are 10"x10"x1" as shown on the image. But I don't understand why the 3rd dimension of the slab (depth) is needed. As long as we know it's 10" from the pivot point and 1"...

I just need a rough number. Like less than a pound, 5lbs, 10lbs, etc. If a person grabs the top of the rail are they going to think "this is going to fall over now", or "this at least gives me a bit of guidance so I won't fall over", or "I can count on this to keep me from falling". I realize...

Precisely! Your assumptions are all correct. Friction coefficient is very high, force applied to pole is horizontal. Here's the project: I have 50lb slabs of granite that I attached a poles to in order to make a railing alongside a walkway. The railing will be mostly for visual control and not...

Sorry for the lack of profile info! I'm only a basic, algebra, trig guy. No theoretical physics training. I was hoping for something like: (basewidth * baseheight) / baseweight) x sin( pole height squared) = TADA! lbs of force. I know I'm in this forum way above my paygrade!

I'm working on a project where I have an upright post secured to a flat square base (similar to an umbrella stand). I want to know how much force would be required to start it to tip toward its left edge. Here's an illustration where the base is 10" square, 1" thick and weighs 50 lbs. There is...