How Does a Rock Climber Use Friction to Climb?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a rock climber utilizing friction to maintain her position in a chimney between two rock slabs. The problem includes parameters such as the climber's weight, coefficients of friction, and the forces acting on her as she climbs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to set up an equation involving friction and weight but expresses uncertainty about the correctness of their approach. Some participants suggest analyzing horizontal forces to establish relationships between normal forces acting on the climber.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing guidance on analyzing forces. There is an exploration of the relationships between the forces involved, but no consensus or resolution has been reached yet.

Contextual Notes

The problem involves specific coefficients of friction and the climber's weight, which are critical to the analysis but may not be fully utilized in the current discussion. The participants are also questioning the necessity of proportionality in the forces exerted by the climber.

uberbandgeek6
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A 55 kg rock climber is climbing a "chimney" between two rock slabs with her shoes on one side and her back against the other. The static coefficient of friction between her shoes and the rock is 1.1; between her back and the rock it is 0.80. She has reduced her push against the rock until her back and her shoes are on the verge of slipping. What is the magnitude of her push against the rock, and what fraction of her weight is supported by her shoes?

Okay, so I think I should set it up like this (though I'm not sure if this is right):
friction(shoes) + friction(back) = weight

I plugged in the numbers and now I have:
(1.1)*(N1) + (0.8)*(N2) = 539

Where do i go from here (if this is right so far)?
 
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So far, so good. See if you can figure out the relationship between N1 and N2 by analyzing horizontal forces on the climber.
 
does she have to exert a force proportional to the coefficients of friction?
 
Analyze the horizontal forces.
 

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