You are a construction engineer working on the interior design of a retail
store in a mall. A 2.00 -m-long uniform bar of mass \(8.50 \mathrm{~kg}\) is to
be attached at one end to a wall, by means of a hinge that allows the bar to
rotate freely with very little friction. The bar will be held in a horizontal
position by a light cable from a point on the bar (a distance \(x\) from the
hinge) to a point on the wall above the hinge. The cable makes an angle
\(\theta\) with the bar. The architect has proposed four possible ways to
connect the cable and asked you to assess them:
$$
\begin{array}{lllll}
\text { Alternative } & \text { A } & \text { B } & \text { C } & \text { D }
\\\
\hline x(\mathrm{~m}) & 2.00 & 1.50 & 0.75 & 0.50 \\
\theta(\text { degrees }) & 30 & 60 & 37 & 75
\end{array}
$$
(a) There is concern about the strength of the cable that will be required.
Which set of \(x\) and \(\theta\) values in the table produces the smallest
tension in the cable? The greatest?
(b) There is concern about the breaking strength of the sheetrock wall where
the hinge will be attached. Which set of \(x\) and \(\theta\) values produces the
smallest horizontal component of the force the bar exerts on the hinge? The
largest?
(c) There is also concern about the required strength of the hinge and the
strength of its attachment to the wall. Which set of \(x\) and \(\theta\) values
produces the smallest magnitude of the vertical component of the force the bar
exerts on the hinge? The largest? (Hint: Does the direction of the vertical
component of the force the hinge exerts on the bar depend on where along the
bar the cable is attached?) (d) Is one of the alternatives given in the table
preferable? Should any of the alternatives be avoided? Discuss.