Question
A man of mass 75.9 kg stands on a scaffold supported by a vertical rope at each end. The scaffold has a mass of 19.8 kg and is 2.8 m long. Suppose the man stands to the right from the middle of the scaffold that is a distance one sixth of the length of the scaffold. What is the tension in the right rope?
Answers
It does not matter how long the plank is, only that he is 1/6 of the length from the middle.
Therefore to make the numbers easy I am going to say the plank is 6 meters long (not 2.8)
He stands one meter right of center. That is 4 meters from the left and 2 meters from the right.
Now take moments about the left end of the plank and call the tension in the left line T.
T (6) = m g (4)
T = (2/3) m g = .667*75.9*9.81 Newtons
Therefore to make the numbers easy I am going to say the plank is 6 meters long (not 2.8)
He stands one meter right of center. That is 4 meters from the left and 2 meters from the right.
Now take moments about the left end of the plank and call the tension in the left line T.
T (6) = m g (4)
T = (2/3) m g = .667*75.9*9.81 Newtons