A Lesson in Pressure: The Importance of Distribution
How can we calculate the pressure acting on the floor due to the student and the stool?
Given that the stool has a round non-slip pad fitted to the bottom of each leg, with an area of 3 cm2 for each pad, and the weight of the stool is 75 N. If a student sits on the stool with a weight of 525 N, how do we determine the pressure exerted on the floor?
Answer:
The total weight acting on the floor is the sum of the weight of the student and the stool, which is 75 N + 525 N = 600 N. Since the stool has four legs, the weight will be distributed among the four pads at the bottom of each leg.
Pressure is defined as the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area. In this scenario, the pressure acting on the floor due to the student and the stool is crucial to understand the distribution of weight.
By dividing the total weight (600 N) by the total area of the pads (4 legs * 3 cm2 each), we can calculate the pressure acting on the floor. This gives us 600 N / (4 * 3 cm2) = 50 N/cm2.
Therefore, the pressure exerted on the floor by the student and the stool is 50 N/cm2, demonstrating the importance of proper weight distribution and the impact it has on pressure.