Calculate the average force per nail when Sarah (following figure), who weighs 130 pounds, lies on a bed of nails and is supported by 600 nails. (Figure 1)
Express your answer using two significant figures.
To calculate the average force per nail when Sarah lies on a bed of nails, we need to divide the total force (her weight) by the number of nails supporting her.
First, we need to convert Sarah's weight from pounds (lbs) to Newtons (N) since the SI unit for force is Newton. We can use the conversion factor 1 lb = 4.448 N.
130 lbs * (4.448 N / 1 lb) = 577.84 N (rounded to two significant figures)
Now that we have the force in Newtons, we can find the average force per nail by dividing the total force by the number of nails:
Average force per nail = Total force / Number of nails
Average force per nail = 577.84 N / 600 nails = 0.963 N per nail (rounded to two significant figures)
Therefore, the average force per nail when Sarah lies on a bed of nails is approximately 0.96 N per nail.