A house painter stands 3 m above the ground on a 4.9-m-long ladder that leans against the wall at a point 4.7 m above the ground. The painter weighs 697 N and the ladder weighs 180 N. Assuming no friction between the house and the upper end of the ladder, find the force of friction that the driveway exerts on the bottom of the ladder.

Question

magnitude

N

direction

away from the wall towards the wall

Answer 1

You have two forces: Vertical force, which is the weight of the ladder and painter, which is the vertical force the driveway supplies.
The other force is horizontal, friction, which keeps the ladder from slipping. Sum moments about the upper end of the ladder, the two weights, the vertical force of the driveway, and the horizontal force on the driveway. You will get the horizontal force directly in the equation.