What pressure is a person exerting on the floor if the person weighs 145 lbs and has shoes that contact the floor over a total area of 300. cm^2?
To calculate the pressure a person is exerting on the floor, you need to divide the person's weight by the contact area between their shoes and the floor. Here's how you can calculate it:
Step 1: Convert the person's weight from pounds to kilograms. Since 1 pound is approximately 0.4536 kilograms, you can calculate it as:
Weight in kg = Weight in lbs * 0.4536
Weight in kg = 145 lbs * 0.4536 = 65.7712 kg (rounded to four decimal places)
Step 2: Convert the contact area from square centimeters to square meters. Since 1 square meter is equal to 10,000 square centimeters, you can calculate it as:
Area in m^2 = Area in cm^2 / 10,000
Area in m^2 = 300 cm^2 / 10,000 = 0.03 m^2 (rounded to two decimal places)
Step 3: Calculate the pressure by dividing the weight in kilograms by the contact area in square meters:
Pressure = Weight in kg / Area in m^2
Pressure = 65.7712 kg / 0.03 m^2 = 2192.3733 Pascal (rounded to four decimal places)
Therefore, the person is exerting a pressure of approximately 2192.3733 Pascal on the floor.