A window cleaner's ladder AB AB\,AB has a mass of 15 kg and a length of 6 m. The ladder is modelled as a uniform rod. It rests with its lower end A A\,A on a rough horizontal pavement and its upper part against a smooth horizontal rail at point CCC. Given AC=5AC = 5AC=5 m and the ladder is in limiting equilibrium. The ladder makes an angle α \alpha\,α with the horizontal, where tanα=3/4\tan \alpha = 3/4tanα=3/4. The coefficient of friction at the ground is μ\muμ.
Calculate the value of μ\muμ.
139 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Maths 3.3 Forces and Newton's Laws, covering 3.3.1 Concept and vector nature of a force, 3.3.2 Newton's first law, 3.3.3 Newton's second law in a straight line, 3.3.4 Newton's second law with vectors (A-level only), 3.3.5 Newton's second law with resolved forces (A-level only), 3.3.6 Weight, 3.3.7 Gravitational acceleration, 3.3.8 Newton's third law, 3.3.9 Normal reaction force, 3.3.10 Smooth contact model, 3.3.11 Equilibrium with connected particles and pulleys, 3.3.12 Newton's third law with resolved forces (A-level only), 3.3.13 Equilibrium by resolving (A-level only), 3.3.14 Equilibrium of forces in two dimensions using vectors (A-level only), 3.3.15 Resolving forces for advanced problems (A-level only), 3.3.16 Resultant forces and components (A-level only), 3.3.17 Dynamics of a particle in a plane (A-level only), 3.3.18 Concept of a frictional force (A-level only), 3.3.19 Contact force components (A-level only), 3.3.20 Coefficient of friction (A-level only), 3.3.21 Static and limiting equilibrium on a rough surface (A-level only), 3.3.22 Motion of a body on a rough surface (A-level only), and 3.3 Forces and Newton's Laws. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.