- #1
Sunwoo Bae
- 60
- 4
- Homework Statement
- A 5m long ladder leans against a smooth wall at a point 4m above a cement floor as shown in the figure (image below). The ladder is uniform and has mass m = 12kg. Assuming the wall is frictionless (but the floor is not), determine the forces exerted on the ladder by the floor and by the wall.
- Relevant Equations
- total torque = 0
I have two questions regarding this problem
1. The following is my attempt to solve Fcy using the fact that the addition of torque = 0. I considered force mg and Fcy and their lever arms to set up the equilibrium. But this method seems not to work? Why?
2.At the bottom of the question, it reads, "Why is it reasonable to ignore friction along the wall, but not reasonable to ignore it along the floor?" What would be an answer to this problem?