Question

The cuboid and the cube below are placed on the floor. The cuboid has a weight of 60N and the cube has a weight of 40N. Which exerts a greater pressure on the ground? Prove your answer.

Answer 1

Answer:

they both exert the same pressure

Explanation:

Pressure is the ratio of force to area. It is given as:

$P=\frac{F}{A}$ ,  where F is the force, P is pressure and A is area

1) For the cuboid, the area of the base placed on the ground (A) = 8 cm × 3 cm = 24 cm² = 0.0024 m². Therefore the pressure is:

$P=\frac{F}{A}=\frac{60}{0.0024} =25000N/m^2=25KN/m^2$

2) For the cube, the area of the base placed on the ground (A) = 4 cm × 4 cm = 16 cm² = 0.0016 m². Therefore the pressure is:

$P=\frac{F}{A}=\frac{40}{0.0016} =25000N/m^2=25KN/m^2$

Therefore, they both exert the same pressure.