Serway & Jewett — Static Equilibrium and Elasticity: Problem 15

John is pushing his daughter Rachel in a wheelbarrow when it is stopped by a brick 8.00 cm high (Fig. P12.15). The handles make an angle of \(\theta = 15.0^{\circ}\) with the ground. Due to the weight of Rachel and the wheelbarrow, a downward force of 400 N is exerted at the center of the wheel, which has a radius of 20.0 cm. (a) What force must John apply along the handles to just start the wheel over the brick? (b) What is the force (magnitude and direction) that the brick exerts on the wheel just as the wheel begins to lift over the brick? In both parts, assume the brick remains fixed and does not slide along the ground. Also assume the force applied by John is directed exactly toward the center of the wheel.