Chapter 9, Problem 16P

A 108-in.-long beam AB is attached to the wall with a pin at point A and to a 68-in.-long cable CD. A load W = 250 lb is attached to the beam at point B. The tension in the cable T is given by:

$T=\frac{WL{L}_C}{d\sqrt{L_C{}^2-d^2}}$

where L and L_Care the lengths of the beam and the cable, respectively, and d is the distance from point A to point D. where the cable is attached. Make a plot of T versus d. Determine the distance d where the tension in the cable is the smallest.