written by Mario Belloni

This model displays the statics and dynamics of a ladder leaning against a wall. The standard (textbook) statement of this problem assumes that there is no frictional force between the wall and the ladder, but a frictional force between the ground and the ladder. In the simulation, students set the initial lean angle and the coefficients of static and kinetic friction between the floor and the ladder. This resource includes background information and related problems.

Editor's Note: In teaching about equilibrium, instructors may want to use "bite-size" pieces to slowly build concepts. This simulation presents the concept with very simple graphics, appropriate for the introductory class. See Related Materials for a more complex simulation that introduces a person standing on the ladder.

This item was created with Easy Java Simulations (EJS), a modeling tool that allows users without formal programming experience to generate computer models and simulations. To run the simulation, simply click the Java Archive file below. To modify or customize the model, see related materials for installing and running the EJS Modeling and Authoring Tool.

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Last Modified June 5, 2014

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The source code zip archive contains an XML representation of the Ejs TPT Ladder Demonstration Model.   Unzip this archive in your Ejs workspace to compile and run this model using Ejs.

• Download ejs_tpt_ladder_demo.zip - 31kb Compressed File

Published October 1, 2008
Last Modified June 5, 2014

This file has previous versions.