Serway & Jewett — Static Equilibrium and Elasticity: Problem 16

John is pushing his daughter Rachel in a wheelbarrow when it is stopped by a brick of height \(h\) (Fig. P12.15). The handles make an angle of \(\theta\) with the ground. Due to the weight of Rachel and the wheelbarrow, a downward force \(mg\) is exerted at the center of the wheel, which has a radius \(R\). (a) What force \(F\) must John apply along the handles to just start the wheel over the brick? (b) What are the components of the force 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.