Answer to Question #287352 in Physics for down

Question

An 80kg painter stands on a uniform 25 kg platform board supported by two wooden poles on each side. If each of these two poles can only hold 1000N and they are located at the ends of the 4m platform, will it be safe for him to stand at 1m from one end of the platform?

Answer 1

Find the reactions from torque equilibrium:

$$m_bg·2+m_pg·3-R_b·4=0,\\ R_b=710.5\text{ N}.$$

From equilibrium of forces find another reaction:

$$R_a+R_b=m_bg+m_pg,\\ R_a=318.5\text{ N}.$$

Safe.