What is the angle of static equilibrium for a ladder on ice?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on determining the tension in a rope supporting a foldable step ladder weighing 150 N, positioned at a 60° angle on ice. Participants emphasize the importance of showing work, such as free body diagrams (FBD), to receive assistance in solving the problem. There are challenges in equating torques around the ladder's pivots, with users noting a lack of progress in calculations. Clarification is sought regarding the ladder's configuration and the angle's application to each half. Effective problem-solving requires a clear demonstration of the steps taken and where difficulties arise.
engineerr
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Homework Statement
A foldable step ladder weighing 150 𝑁 is made of two halves connected by a pivot on top and
by a rope in the middle. The ladder is put on ice and its angle with the surface is 60°. What is
the tension of the rope?
Relevant Equations
net torque = zero
tried equating torques around the pivots of the ladder and equating them to zero but I'm not getting anywhere with that.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
engineerr said:
Homework Statement: A foldable step ladder weighing 150 𝑁 is made of two halves connected by a pivot on top and
by a rope in the middle. The ladder is put on ice and its angle with the surface is 60°. What is
the tension of the rope?
Relevant Equations: net torque = zero

tried equating torques around the pivots of the ladder and equating them to zero but I'm not getting anywhere with that.
Start with some diagrams (FBD). You aren't receive help until you show an honest effort has been made.
 
engineerr said:
tried equating torques around the pivots of the ladder and equating them to zero but I'm not getting anywhere with that.
We can't help you unless you show us what you did. Just mentioning it is not enough. We have to know where you got stuck or what you did wrong.
 
Welcome, @engineerr !

Could you clarify this part?
“The ladder is put on ice and its angle with the surface is 60°.”
Each half, I assume.
 
Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
Back
Top