Forces Acting on a Ladder
Forces Acting on a Ladder
A man of weight (blue arrow) climbs a ladder of length and weight placed against a wall at an angle . Vary the height of the ladder to see the forces acting on this system.
w
m
L
w
L
θ
The weight of the ladder is taken to be at its geometrical center (red arrow), the ground exerts a reaction force (brown arrow) on the ladder, and a frictional horizontal force (yellow arrow) stops the ladder from slipping along the ground. Additionally, there is a force at the top of the ladder normal to the wall (orange arrow, between the arms of the man).
L/2
H
F