A ladder of weight WL leans against a wall. The ladder has rollers at the top so that the wall exerts a purely normal force at the top of the ladder. A person of weight WP slowly climbs the ladder. A free-body diagram for the ladder is shown. As the person ascends the ladder, the force from the wall (Fwall)
PINK: increases, GREEN: decreases, BLUE: stays the same
(Hint: Consider the torque about the point where the ladder touches the ground.)
II. As the person ascends the ladder the force of friction Fx, between the ladder and the ground
PINK: increases, GREEN: decreases, BLUE: stays the same
III. The ladder is more likely to slip when the person is...
PINK: lower, GREEN: higher , BLUE: doesn
't matter| Physics 2010 home page. | Prof. Pollock's home page. | Physics Dep't | Send me your comments |