[mikez]

hi, sorry i dont know if im allowed to do this here

but im in need of help or pointers here, this problem is making me pull my hair out

the question ask what is the minium coefficent of friction is needed for the ladder not to slip



thank you

[mikez]

no one helped

but o well i got it after much hours of hair pulling

[i'm lagging yo]

dude... is that masteringphysics?

that picture of that ladder is like... so familiar wtf?

[ChunJin]

Okay, basically you can split these forces into the x and y direction.

There will be components in both the x and in the y.

However, I would call my X at this \ angle instead of the adjacent to the ground. The y is / =). Also, your mass (mass of the person) is @ L - d distance =). But, you can also split your Y direction up and down, and X left to right.

*REMEMBER* Force of Friction depends on the Normal Force, as well as the coefficient of friction (which you are solving for) =). So when you split up your Y direction or X direction or however you want. You will be left with a total normal force and that will = something. That is what you're trying to capture in this picture. Is the total normal force.

Imagine it like this; the harder you push the book the harder the book pushes back on you. The harder you push down on it, the harder it is to push across the table. But pushing it without a normal is quite easy (just push on the side, and the normal is it's own weight which is easy to break free from).

I won't tell you the answer, but I will tell you if you're on the right track. Doing someones homework is not good, but leading them to the right direction will help them. In this case, it will help you build your understanding of physics.