A plank, ABABAB, of length 6 m and mass M M\,M kg, is at rest with A A\,A against a rough vertical wall. The plank is held in a horizontal position by a rope attached to B B\,B and to the vertical wall at the point CCC. A small block of mass 2M 2M\,2M is placed on the plank at P P\,P where AP=4.5AP = 4.5AP=4.5 m. The angle between the rope and the plank is α\alphaα, where tanα=512\displaystyle \tan \alpha = \frac{5}{12}tanα=125. The plank is modelled as a uniform rod, the block is modelled as a particle and the rope is modelled as a light inextensible string.
Find, in terms of MMM, the tension in the string BCBCBC.
Find the direction of the force exerted on the plank at AAA.
130 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Maths Applications of Forces, covering 7.1 Static Particles, 7.2 Modelling with Statics, 7.3 Friction and Static Particles, 7.4 Static Rigid Bodies, 7.5 Dynamics and Inclined Planes, and 7.6 Connected Particles 2. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.