Consider a ladder placed against a frictionless wall. What happens to the friction force between the ladder and the floor as you climb up the ladder? (Assume the ladder is not sliding.)
A. The friction force decreases.
B. The friction force remains the same.
C. The friction force increases.
D. Not enough information to answer this question.
E. None of the above. There is no friction force between the ladder and the floor.
B. The friction force remains the same.
To determine what happens to the friction force between the ladder and the floor as you climb up the ladder, we need to consider the forces acting on the ladder.
When a person climbs up a ladder, two forces come into play: the weight of the person acting downward and the reaction force from the floor acting upward. These two forces create a torque or a turning force about the point where the ladder makes contact with the ground. To prevent the ladder from tipping over, there needs to be a friction force between the ladder and the floor.
When the person climbs up the ladder, the torque created by their weight increases. To counteract this increased torque, the friction force must also increase. This means that the correct answer is C. The friction force increases as you climb up the ladder.
Remember, however, that this explanation assumes the ladder is not sliding and that the ladder is placed against a frictionless wall.
D. Not enough information to answer this question.
The presence or absence of friction force between the ladder and the floor while climbing up the ladder will depend on other factors such as the angle at which the ladder is inclined, the weight of the ladder, and the weight of the person climbing.