Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)

Published by Addison-Wesley
ISBN 10: 0321909100
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-910-7

Chapter 13 - Think and Explain - Page 261-263: 52

Answer

The woman exerts more pressure and is more likely to dent a linoleum floor. Make a rough calculation. $$Pressure_{woman} = \frac{500 N}{5 cm^{2}} = 100 \frac{N}{cm^{2}}$$ $$Pressure_{elephant} = \frac{50000 N}{5000 cm^{2}} = 10 \frac{N}{cm^{2}}$$ Our approximation shows that the woman exerts about 10 times the pressure of the elephant on the floor.
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