Chapter 5, Problem 5.116PP

FRICTION AND CLIMBING SHOES. Shoes made for the sports of bouldering and rock climbing are designed to provide a great deal of friction between the foot and the surface of the ground. Such shoes on smooth rock might have a coefficient of static friction of 1.2 and a coefficient of kinetic friction of 0.90.

5.116 For a person wearing these shoes, what’s the maximum angle (with respect to the horizontal) of a smooth rock that can be walked on without slipping? (a) 42°; (b) 50°; (c) 64°; (d) larger than 90°.

5.117 If the person steps onto a smooth rock surface that’s inclined at an angle large enough that these shoes begin to slip, what will happen? (a) She will slide a short distance and stop; (b) she will accelerate down the surface; (c) she will slide down the surface at constant speed; (d) we can’t tell what will happen without knowing her mass.

5.118 A person wearing these shoes stands on a smooth, horizontal rock. She pushes against the ground to begin running. What is the maximum horizontal acceleration she can have without slipping? (a) 0.20g; (b) 0.75g; (c) 0.90g; (d) 1.2g.