Tension in calf muscle and force on foot from shinbones

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stratosphere
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Force Tension
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
4 replies · 2K views
Stratosphere
Messages
373
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



A person of weight W stands on the ball of one foot. Find
the tension in the calf muscle and the force exerted by the shinbones
on the bones of the foot, in terms of W, a, and b. (The tension is a
measure of how tight the calf muscle has been pulled; it has units
of Newtons, and equals the amount of force applied by the muscle
where it attaches to the heel.) For simplicity, assume that all the
forces are at 90-degree angles to the foot. Suggestion: Write down
an equation that says the total force on the foot is zero, and another
equation saying that the total torque on the foot is zero; solve the
two equations for the two unknowns

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


I'm not sure what to do for this one.Am I suppose to do W=a*b?
 
Physics news on Phys.org

Discussion

Well, you need to tell us what a and b are before we can help you.

It's a very good idea to start out by drawing a picture (even if it's relatively crude) and identifying forces. I would suggest trying to stand on one foot. You'll find out interesting things like your center of gravity has to be above your foot or you'll fall over. It also might help you to identify the forces. Once you have your forces and where they're acting identified, then you can try to write the relevant equations.
 
ais the back of the foot and b is the front with the ball.
 
Two questions: (1) Just to make sure, is the heel of the foot off the ground? (2) Do you have the distance between ta and b?