WHAT'S SO TORQUEY ABOUT EQUILIBRIUM?

Physics 101 TORQUE AND EQUILIBRIUM WORKSHEET

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1. A 588 N mother sits on one side of a seesaw, 2.20 m from the pivot. One of her two children sits
2.00 m from the pivot on the other side of the seesaw. If the force of gravity on her is 256 N, where
must the other child sit to balance the seesaw if the force of gravity on him is 412 N? (1.9 m)

2. If the force exerted by a fish on the tip of a fishing rod is 4.0 N, what force (including direction) must
the fisherman exert. The rod is being held at angle of 300 above the horizontal. Ignore the rod’s
mass, and assume the rod is pivoted in the fisherman’s other hand.
1
(2.0 x 10 N)

2.5 m
F1 = 4.0 N
0
F2 30

1.0 m

3. A student(850 N) sits on a 2 m long bench that weighs 625 N. The student is sitting 0.40 m from the
right end of the bench. What upward force is exerted by the right support leg of the bench? (9.9 x
102 N)

4. A 7.6 m bean is supported by two posts. Post A is on the left end of the beam. Post B is 2 m to the
right from post A. Them Beam weighs 1200 N. What forces must be exerted at A and B to maintain
equilibrium? In what direction must each force act?
(FA = 1.1 x 102N, down ; FB = 2.3 x 103 N, up)

5. A 9.0 kg box is sliding down a smooth flat ramp which makes an angle of 240 with the horizontal. If
the coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and the ramp is 0.25, how long will it take the box
to slide 2.0 m down the ramp from a standing start?
(1.5 s)

6. A uniform 15kg ladder whose length is 5.0 m stands on the floor and leans against a vertical wall,
making an angle of 250 with the vertical. Assuming that the friction between the ladder and the wall
is negligible, what is the minimum amount of friction between the ladder and the floor which will
keep the ladder from slipping.
(34 N)

7. If a ladder like the one above ( in questions #6)makes an angle with the wall, has a mass m, and is
uniform in design, show that the minimum force of friction which must exist between the ladder
and the floor from slipping is given by : Ff = ½ mg tan
(FfL Cos = 1/2 mgLsin, so Ff = 1/2 mg x sin / cos = 1/2 mg (tan) )