A uniformly dense picnic table with a mass mt of 15 kg with a total length of 3.6 m sits on a flat surface. A student pushes a uniformly dense rock with an unknown mass mr on the table to a distance x = 0.30 m away from the right table leg, such that the table is just about to tip over. Use your Statics Problem Solving Checklist to answer the questions below. Redraw the table on your own paper, and draw the free body diagram (FBD) for the table.
Indicate the (smart) point you chose about which the system will rotate, justify this choice.
What is the mass of the rock mr in kg?
What is the normal force exerted by the ground on the right table leg?
Explain why the normal force exerted by the ground on the left table leg is zero.
Explain why you are able to ignore the Fx=0 condition for equilibrium?