Physics 10

Chapter 6
PRESSURE
PRESSURE
Pressure is defined as force per unit area
Pressure = Force between the surfaces/Area of
contact (P = F/A)
When force is in Newtons (N) and area is in m2, then
pressure P is in N/m2 or Pascal (Pa).
The following numerical example compares the pressure exerted on the floor
by a girl of weight 400 N, when she wears a pair of shoes with high heels (having
small area of contact with floor) and when she wears a pair of slippers with
large area of contact with floor.
With high heels
Force = 400 N
Area of heels = 100 x 10-6 m2
(assumed)
Pressure = 400/100 x 10-6
= 4 x106 N/m2 or Pa

With slippers
Force = 400 N
Area of slippers = 3000 x 10-6 m2
Pressure = 400/3000 x 10-6
= 0.13 x 106 N/m2 or Pa

Area of slippers is 30 times greater than area of heels. So pressure is 30 times greater
in case of heels.

Hence when area is small pressure will be higher.

01. Given four bodies with each mass is

100 kg.

The most little pressure at the bottom

surface of the bodies is

02. A table of mass 50 kg has 4 legs is

placed on a floor. Each legs has a
cross sectional area of 25cm2. Find
the pressure exerted on the floor.
03. The diagram below shows a
concrete block of dimension 1.5m x
2.0m x 3.0m. Its weight is 60 N.
Calculate:
A. maximum pressure
B. minimum pressure
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Profesor: Javier Trigoso T.

Physics 10

inside a circular ring of coffee left

on the table by the bottom of the
mug?
C. What is the radius of the ring of
coffee?
06.
04. Brooke comes home from school
and puts her books down on the
kitchen table while she goes to grab
a snack. The books have a
combined weight of 25 N and the
area of contact is 0.19 m by 0.24 m.
What pressure do the books apply
on the table?
05. A full coffee mug has a mass of 0.60
kg and an empty mug has a mass of
0.30 kg.
A. Which mug, the full one or the
empty one, applies a greater
pressure on the table?
B. If the full mug applies a pressure
of 1200. N/m2, what is the area

01. A wooden block is placed at

different position on the surface of a
piece of plasticine. At what position
is the pressure higher?

02. Which shoe will exert a greater

pressure on the when it is worn by
the same women?

A. Which exerts a greater force on a

table, a 1.70-kg physics book
lying flat on the table, or a 1.70kg physics book standing on end
on the table?
B. Which applies a greater
pressure?
C. If each book measures 0.260 m
0.210 m 0.040 m, calculate the
pressure applied in each of these
two drawings.

(0.1 m2). What pressure is exerted on

the ground?
04. What pressure on the snow does the
snowmobile make if it has a weight
of 800 N and the runners have an
area of 0.2 m2?
05. The mass of a car is 1100 kg. What
is the pressure exerted on the ground
if the area in contact with each tyre
is 275 cm2?
06. A car of weight 12 000 N stands on
level ground. The pressure on each
of its four identical tyres is 300 kPa.
What is the area of contact
between each tyre and the ground?

03. An elephant weighing 40 000 N

stands on one foot of area 1 000 cm2

07. Find the area that a 30 kg parcel is in

contact with the ground, given that
it exerts a pressure of 600 Pa
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Profesor: Javier Trigoso T.

Fsica 10 de secundaria

08. What pressure is exerted by:

A. A force of 500 N acting on an
area of 1.25 m2?
B. A force of 360 N acting on a
rectangular area of 6 cm by 4
cm?
09. The diagram below shows a wooden
block of dimensions 8 cm 10 cm
12 cm. Its weight is 12 N. On which
side should the wooden block be
placed to produce a maximum
pressure exerted on the table. What
is value of this pressure?

10. A rectangular block of sides 3 m by 2

m by 1 m has a mass of 3 000 kg.
A. What is the smallest pressure that
the block can exert on a flat surf
ace?
B. What is the difference between
the smallest and the greatest pre
ssure that the block can exert on
a flat surface
11. Calculate the pressure generated
by:
A. An ordinary shoe heel 5 cm by 5
cm worn by a 40 kg person
standing on the heel.
B. A 500 kg elephant standing on
one foot of 20 cm diameter.
C. A 50 kg person standing on a
high-heel of area 0.5 cm2.
D. Which of the above will damage
a wooden floor that starts to yield
at a pressure of 4 000 kPa?
12. A rectangular block of sides 3 m by 2
m by 1 m has a mass of 3000 kg.
A. What is the smallest pressure that
the block can exert on a flat
surface?

B. What is the difference between

the smallest and the greatest
pressure that the block can
exert on a flat surface?
13. Miss Culp, a high school English
teacher, marches next to Miss
Vance, a physics teacher, in the
graduation procession across the
football field. Each woman has a
mass of 60.0 kg, but Miss Culp is
wearing spike heels that have an
area of 0.40 cm2 while Miss Vance
wears wide heels with an area of 6.0
cm2.
A. Calculate how much pressure
each woman will apply on the
ground.
B. What could Miss Culp do, while
she walks, to help her sink less into
the ground?
14. The wood block can be placed on
the horizontal surface in any one of
three ways, A, B or C (see Fig.2).

Fig 1

Fig 2

A. In which position does the wood

block exert the greatest
pressure?
B. How do you know this?

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Profesor: Javier Trigoso T.