Static Equilibrium Physics

Question

Hello, how am I supposed to answer this kind of problem when the given values are limited like the usual and easy ones? Thank you!

A monkey is hanging on a tree branch that is inclined upwards 30 degrees from the

horizontal to grab a hand of bananas. He is about 4 m from the tree trunk and the bananas

are still 3 meters away from its position. Use the principle of static equilibrium to determine

the mass of the monkey if the mass of the bananas is 5 kg.

Answer 1

Hi Niki D.,

What, another absurdly framed problem? There's no static equilibrium to be obtained, here. I don't see any way of positioning the monkey and the bananas such that there is no net horizontal force on the banana plant. (if that was the intent of the question framer). And by the way, banana is a plant, not a tree, there's no woody tissue in it, tell your instructor. Each plant stem eventually bears one bunch of bananas (then it dies). A bunch is large, and consists of many hands of bananas; each hand comprises a double row of fingers (what individual banana fruits are called).

And if the monkey is on a separate tree than the banana plant, then there is also no static equilibrium to consider. Not enough data!

-- Cheers, --Mr. d.