Question

A ladder is at rest with Oct upper end against a wall and its lower end on the ground.A worker is about to climb it.When is it more likly to slip

Answer 1

Answer: When the worker is on the top rung

Explanation: When the ladder was initially resting on the wall, the torque from the normal reaction on ladder from the horizontal surface is equal to the torque from the vertical surface on ladder.

The weight of the worker produces a torque which is in the direction of the torque from the normal reaction on ladder, produced by the vertical surface. Therefore for the ladder to stay in rotational equilibrium, the torque on ladder from the normal reaction produced by the horizontal surface must increase.

This increase is possible when the worker is on the lower rung, but as the worker goes high, the magnitude of normal reaction from the vertical surface would increase, thereby increasing the risk of slipping of ladder.