MOMENT OF FORCE WORKSHEET 2

1. A man is doing push-ups. He has a mass of 68 kg and his center of gravity is located at a
horizontal distance of 0.70 m from his palms and 1.00 m from his feet. Find the forces exerted
by the floor on his palms and feet.

2. Two brackets, A and B, support a shelf of length 1.2 m. Bracket A is positioned 0.15 m from the
left-hand end of the shelf. A book is placed 0.35 m from the left-hand end of the shelf as shown.

(a) The normal contact forces of each bracket on the shelf are equal. Determine the distance of
bracket B from the left-hand end of the shelf. weight of book = 8.5 N weight of shelf = 14 N
(b) Bracket B is moved closer to the left-hand end of the shelf. Explain the effect on the
magnitude of the normal contact force of bracket B on the shelf.

3. Since humans are generally not symmetrically shaped, the height of our center of gravity is
generally not half of our height. One way to determine the location of the center of gravity is
shown in the diagram. A 2.2-m-long uniform plank is supported by two bathroom scales, one at
either end. Initially the scales each read 100.0 N. A 1.60-m-tall student then lies on top of the
plank, with the soles of his feet directly above scale B. Now scale A reads 394.0 N and scale B
reads 541.0 N. (a) What is the student’s weight? (b) How far is his center of gravity from the
soles of his feet?