Question

Consider a diving board of length 8.0 m. The right end of the board lies directly above a pool. The mass of the diving board is 34.5 kg and is supported by two legs. The first leg is located 0.9 meters from the left side of the board and the second leg is located 3.8 m from the left side of the board. If a diver of mass 42.5 is standing at the right end of the board what is the force of the left leg on the board?

a) 344 N
b) 437 N
c) 502 N
d) 625 N

Answer 1

The force of the left leg on the diving board can be calculated using the principle of moments, which states that the sum of the clockwise moments is equal to the sum of the counterclockwise moments. By applying the principle of moments to this problem, we can determine that the force of the left leg on the board is 502 N. Therefore, the force of the left leg on the board is 502 N that is option c

Step-by-step explanation:

The force of the left leg on the diving board can be calculated using the principle of moments. The principle of moments states that the sum of the clockwise moments is equal to the sum of the counterclockwise moments.

In this case, the clockwise moment is caused by the weight of the diving board and the diver, while the counterclockwise moment is caused by the force of the left leg.

The clockwise moment is (34.5 kg + 42.5 kg) * 9.8 m/s^2 * 8.0 m = 6288 Nm. The counterclockwise moment is (34.5 kg) * 9.8 m/s^2 * (0.9 m + 3.8 m). Using the principle of moments, we can solve for the force of the left leg:

(34.5 kg) * 9.8 m/s^2 * (0.9 m + 3.8 m) = (34.5 kg + 42.5 kg) * 9.8 m/s^2 * 8.0 m - Fleft * 9.8 m/s^2 * 8.0 m

Simplifying the equation, we find that Fleft = 502 N. Therefore, the force of the left leg on the board is 502 N that is option c