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Ladder Problems m2

1. Ladder problems use moments and force resolution to analyze situations involving ladders resting against walls and on surfaces. Examples provided involve finding tensions in supporting strings and normal reactions at contact points. 2. A 30kg ladder leaning at 60° is analyzed to find how far an 80kg man can climb before slipping occurs. The forces are resolved and combined with the friction equation to determine the man can climb 3.83m. 3. Revision questions provide additional practice problems analyzing ladders in limiting equilibrium on surfaces with friction and involving finding reactions, coefficients of friction, and angles of inclination or the ladder.

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538 views

Ladder Problems m2

1. Ladder problems use moments and force resolution to analyze situations involving ladders resting against walls and on surfaces. Examples provided involve finding tensions in supporting strings and normal reactions at contact points. 2. A 30kg ladder leaning at 60° is analyzed to find how far an 80kg man can climb before slipping occurs. The forces are resolved and combined with the friction equation to determine the man can climb 3.83m. 3. Revision questions provide additional practice problems analyzing ladders in limiting equilibrium on surfaces with friction and involving finding reactions, coefficients of friction, and angles of inclination or the ladder.

Uploaded by

Efrata
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Prepared by Theode Niyirinda, Mathematics Dept, GHS

LADDER PROBLEMS

Ladder problems use the knowledge of moments and resolution of forces to work out problems.

Examples
1. A uniform ladder AB of mass 10kg and length 4m, rests with its upper end A against a smooth
vertical wall and end B on a smooth horizontal ground. A light horizontal string which has one end
attached to B and the other end attached to the wall keeps the ladder in equilibrium inclined at 40° to
the horizontal. The vertical plane containing the ladder and the string is at right angles to the wall.
Find the tension, T in the string and the normal reactions at the points A and B.

Resolving the forces in equilibrium:

Vertically; Upward force equal to down force


RB= 10g = 10x9.8 = 98N

Horizontally; Force in R.H.S = Force in L.H.S


T = RA ……..(i)

Taking moments about point B;


RA x 4Sin40° = 10g x 2Cos40°
RA = 58.4N

From (i) T = 58.4N

2. A uniform ladder of mass 30kg and length 5m rests against a smooth vertical wall with lower end on
rough ground, coefficient of friction 0.4. The ladder is inclined at 60° to the horizontal. Find how far
a man of mass 80kg can ascend the ladder without slipping.

Let the man ascend a distance y from the foot of the


ladder.
Resolving the forces in equilibrium:

Vertically;
RA=80g + 30g = 110g ……..(i)

Horizontally;
RB = 0.4RA ……..(ii)

Taking moments about point A;


30g x 2.5Cos60 + 80g x yCos60° = RB x 5Sin60°
…….(iii)

Combining (i) and (ii) and substituting in (iii)


37.5g + 40gy = 0.4x110gx5Sin60°

220.𝑥𝑆𝑖𝑛60−37.5
y= = 3.83𝑚
40

1
Prepared by Theode Niyirinda, Mathematics Dept, GHS

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. A uniform ladder of weight W and length 2𝑙 rests with one end on a smooth horizontal floor and
the other end against a smooth vertical wall. The ladder is held in this position by a light
horizontal inextensible string of length 𝑙 which has one end attached to the bottom of the ladder
and the other fastened to a point at the base of the wall vertically below the top of the ladder.
𝑊
Show that the tension in the string is
2√3

2. A uniform ladder of weight, W leans against a rough vertical wall and stands on a rough
horizontal surface. The coefficient of friction being equal at both ends of the ladder. If the ladder
is in limiting equilibrium with 𝜇 = 3⁄5. Find the reactions at both ends.

3. A non-uniform ladder AB, 10m long and mass 8kg lies in limiting equilibrium with it lower end A
resting on a rough horizontal ground and the upper end B resting against a smooth vertical wall. If
the center of gravity of the ladder is 3m from the foot of the ladder and the ladder makes an angle
of 30° with the horizontal, find the;

(a) coefficient of friction between the ladder and the ground


(b) reaction at the wall
4. A uniform ladder of weight W stands in limiting equilibrium on a rough horizontal surface and
leans at 30° to a smooth vertical wall. Find the;
(a) normal reactions at the ground and the wall
(b) coefficient of friction at the ground hence find the total reaction at this point
5. A uniform ladder AB of mass 8kg and length 6m is resting in equilibrium at an angle of 50° to the
horizontal with it’s upper end A against a smooth vertical wall and its lower end B on a rough
horizontal ground, coefficient of friction, 𝜇. Find the normal reactions at A and B, frictional force
and the least possible value of 𝜇 if the centre of gravity of the ladder is 2m from B.

6. A ladder AB rests with its end A on a rough horizontal floor and the other end B against a rough
vertical wall, the coefficients of friction being 1 and 2 at the floor and on the wall respectively.
If the centre of gravity of the ladder is at distances a and b from the ends A and B, show that when
the ladder is in limiting equilibrium, the inclination of the ladder with the horizontal is
 a − b 1  2 
tan −1   .
 (a + b )1 
7. A uniform ladder of length 2l and weight, W rests in a vertical plane with one end against a rough
vertical wall and the other against a rough horizontal surface, the angles of friction at each end
1 1
being 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 (3) and 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 (2) respectively.
(a) If the ladder is in limiting equilibrium at either end, find the angle of inclination of the ladder
to the horizontal
(b) A man of weight 10 times that of the ladder begins to ascend it, how far will he climb before
the ladder slips

8. A uniform rod is in equilibrium with its ends on a smooth plane inclined to the wall at 45°. Find
the angle the rod makes with the horizontal.

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