February 3rd 2022 POTD 547 amysteriousperson

part a

⃗
N F⃗
F⃗f α

m⃗g

Consider applying the force to the particle at an angle α with respect to the horizon. We will find
the maximum force that can be applied to the point mass before it start moving. Balancing forces
yield:
F cos α − Ff = 0 and F sin α + N − mg = 0
Just before the mass start moving, we also have Ff = µN . Plugging Ff and N gives:

F cos α = µ(mg − F sin α)

As a result
µmg
F =
cos α + µ sin α
Minimizing this force will give us the minimum force required to make the object start moving.
To do this, we maximize cos α + µ sin α. Taking the derivative and equate it to zero yields:

− sin α + µ cos α = 0 → tan α = µ

We therefore find the minimum force to be

µmg
F =p
1 + µ2
February 3rd 2022 POTD 547 amysteriousperson

part b

F⃗f1 l
I G
x F⃗

F⃗f2

View from top

If the force is purely horizontal (as viewed on the page), the minimum force needed to move the
rod is µmg. We would however like to know the possibility of moving the rod with a force smaller
than this. We can use a basic argument to show that the rod is most likely to move when the force
is applied to the outer most point of the rod. For simplicity, assume that the force is applied to
the right of the center of mass (COM) G, and is purely in the upward direction (as viewed on the
page).
The instantaneous center of rotation (ICOR) will be on the left of the COM, and we call the
distance between those two points x. Since the rod has a tendency to rotate counter-clockwise, all
the points on the right of the ICOR will have friction pointing downward, and all the points on
the left will have friction pointing upward. The ICOR must be on the left, so that the net force
applied by friction point downward (to balance F⃗ ). Since the friction force is proportional to the
normal force of each segment, we have
l l
2
−x 2
+x
F f1 = µmg and F f2 = µmg
l l
Balancing forces
l l
2
+x 2
−x
F− µmg + µmg = 0
l l
Rearranging gives
2x
F =
µmg
l
We see that for a given F , x is determined. Therefore, we should apply the force at the rightmost
point of the rod, in order to create the greatest torque possible. Balancing torque with respect to
the ICOR yields:
l l l l
l +x +x −x −x
F (x + ) − 2 µmg 2 − 2 µmg 2 =0
2 l 2 l 2
   2  2
1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x
F + = µmg + + µmg −
2 l 2 2 l 2 2 l
x F
Substitute = :
l 2µmg
   2  2
2F 1 F 1 F 1 F
+ = + + −
µmg 2 2µmg 2 2µmg 2 2µmg
February 3rd 2022 POTD 547 amysteriousperson

F
Let u = . Hence
µmg
   2  2
1 u 1 u 1 u
2u + = + + −
2 2 2 2 2 2
4u(1 + u) = (1 + u)2 + (1 − u)2
4u(1 + u) = 2(1 + u2 )
2u(1 + u) = 1 + u2

As a result √
u2 + 2u − 1 = 0 → u = −1 ± 2
√
Since u > 0, we have u = 2 − 1 and therefore
√
F = ( 2 − 1)µmg

and this is indeed smaller than µmg.