A staging that weighs Wstaging supports a painter weighing 350 N. The reading on the left scale is 600 N and the reading on the right scale is 240 N. What is the weight of the staging?
total weight=man+staging
600+240=350+staging
solve.
490
To find the weight of the staging, we can use the concept of equilibrium. In this scenario, the sum of the forces acting vertically (up and down) must be zero for the staging to remain in balance.
Given that there is a painter weighing 350 N standing on the staging, this force must be balanced out by the weight of the staging. Let's call the weight of the staging Wstaging.
The reading on the left scale is 600 N, which means there is an upward force of 600 N acting on the staging. The reading on the right scale is 240 N, which means there is an upward force of 240 N acting on the staging. These two forces, along with the weight of the staging, must cancel out to achieve equilibrium.
Since the painter's weight is downward, the equation for equilibrium is:
Downward force + Upward forces = 0
350 N (painter) - 600 N (left scale) - 240 N (right scale) - Wstaging = 0
Now let's solve for Wstaging:
Wstaging = 350 N - 600 N - 240 N
Wstaging = -490 N
Since weight is a downward force, the negative value signifies the weight is acting downward. However, weight cannot be negative in this context, so we discard the negative sign.
Thus, the weight of the staging is 490 N.