Chapter 3

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22
Forces And Pressure

Pressure
Pressure is defined as normal force per unit area. F
p= F
A

Unit for pressure = N m–2 or pascal (Pa) A

A ladyʼs high heel shoe with a

smaller base area exerts a higher
pressure than a manʼs shoe.
Higher pressure Lower pressure

Applications

A knife, saw and chisel have A tank can move easily A pointed arrow
sharp edges to cut through hard on rough terrain due to its can penetrate a
materials easily. broad base. target easily.

Question The weight of a wooden block of dimensions 0.2 m × 0.3 m × 0.8 m is 12 N.

Calculate the
(a) maximum pressure 0.3 m
(b) minimum pressure
0.2 m
when it is placed on a table. 0.8 m
Solution (a) Maximum pressure (b) Minimum pressure
Weight Weight
= Minimum base area = Maximum base area
12 12
= =
0.2 × 0.3 0.3 × 0.8
= 200 N m–2 = 50 N m–2

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