Question

why a man standing near the top of an old wooden step ladder feels unstable?

Answer 1

bcoz of his center of gravity is not at equililbrium.centre of gravity is a point from where weight of body or system is considered to be act.centre of gravity decreases of comes at nonequilibrium if volume is kept constant and height is increased

Answer 2

A man climbs up a tall old stepladder that has a tendency to sway. He feels much more unstable when standing near the top than when near the bottom because centre of gravity of man standing near the top is raised higher then original C.G. As the centre of gravity is higher, the greater is the change of over standing near the top.