A uniform beam of mass 20 kg and length 2.4 m supports a load of 10 kg. What are the forces acting on the beam and the support reactions?

To solve this problem, we will use the conditions for static equilibrium: the net force in both horizontal and vertical directions must be zero, and the net torque about any point must be zero.

First, let's define the given values and calculate the weights:

• Mass of beam ($m_B$) = $20 \, \text{kg}$
• Length of beam ($L$) = $2.4 \, \text{m}$
• Mass of load ($m_L$) = $10 \, \text{kg}$
• Acceleration due to gravity ($g$) = $9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2$

The forces acting on the beam are:

1. Weight of the beam ($W_B$