A uniform ladder 5.0 m long rests against a frictionless, vertical wall with its lower end 3.0 m from the wall. The ladder weigh
s 160 N. The coefficient of static friction between the foot of the ladder and the ground is 0.40. A man weighing 740 N climbs slowly up the ladder. Start by drawing a free-body diagram of the ladder. (a) What is the maximum friction force that the ground can exert on the ladder at its lower end?
(b) What is the actual friction force when the man has climbed 1.0 m along the ladder?
(c) How far along the ladder can the man climb before the ladder starts to slip?
The answer is 2.49 x 10^5 KJ. This was obtained (1) use the formula for specific heat to achieve Q or heat then (2) get the energy to melt the copper lastly (3) Subtract both work and the total energy required to completely melt the copper bar is achieved.