Question

A uniform ladder of length 5 m and weighing 20 N is placed against a smooth vertical wall with its lower end 4m away from the wall. If the ladder is just to slip, determine - Coefficient of friction between the ladder and floor.

Answer 1

To determine the coefficient of friction between the ladder and the floor, we analyze the forces acting on the ladder and use the conditions for static equilibrium.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the coefficient of friction between the ladder and the floor, we need to analyze the forces acting on the ladder. There are four forces at play: the weight of the ladder, the normal reaction force from the floor, the normal reaction force from the wall, and the static friction force between the ladder and the floor.

By analyzing the forces and using the conditions for static equilibrium, we can set up equations to determine the coefficient of static friction. The equation can be solved for fs, the static friction force, and then used to calculate the coefficient of static friction, us.

Once we have the value of the static friction force fs, we can divide it by the normal reaction force from the floor to obtain the coefficient of static friction us = fs / N. This will give us the answer we are looking for.