The sketch shows a painter's scaffold in mechanical equilibrium. The person in the middle weighs 225 N, and the tension in each rope is 300 N. What is the weight of the scaffold?

The weight of the scaffold is 375 N.

Explanation:

It is given that,

The weight of the person in the middle, W = 225 N

Tn tension in each rope, T = 300 N

Let w is the weight of the scaffold. On equilibrium, the net forces can be written in terms of:

w + 225 = 300 + 300

w = 375 N

So, the weight of the scaffold is 375 N. Hence, this is the required solution.