You are lying down on your bed in the dorm, which measures 3 feet by 6 feet. Calculate the pressure in psi (lbs / sq inch) your body exerts, spread out upon the total area bed. 1 foot = 12 inches.
This is not a geography question!
Don't you need to know your weight for this calculation?
Its a geography class but i guess it is a physics question, I believe you do need to know your weight, i just need help setting the problem up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pounds_per_square_inch
To calculate the pressure in psi (pounds per square inch) that your body exerts on the bed, we need to divide the total force you exert by the total area of the bed.
First, let's calculate the force your body exerts on the bed. We need the weight of your body, which we can calculate using your mass and the acceleration due to gravity. Let's assume your mass is 70 kilograms (kg), and the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 meter per second squared (m/s²).
The weight (force) can be calculated as mass multiplied by acceleration due to gravity:
Weight = mass * acceleration due to gravity
Weight = 70 kg * 9.8 m/s²
Now we convert the weight from kilograms to pounds since we want the pressure in psi. 1 pound is equivalent to approximately 0.45 kilograms.
Weight = (70 kg * 9.8 m/s²) * (1 lb / 0.45 kg)
Next, we need to calculate the total area of the bed. The bed measures 3 feet by 6 feet, and since 1 foot is equivalent to 12 inches, this translates to 36 inches by 72 inches.
Total area = length * width
Total area = 36 inches * 72 inches
To convert the area from square inches to square feet, divide by 144 since there are 12 inches in a foot.
Total area = (36 inches * 72 inches) / 144
Now we have both the weight and the total area.
Finally, to calculate the pressure in psi, we divide the weight by the total area:
Pressure = Weight / Total area
Substituting the values we calculated before, we get:
Pressure = (70 kg * 9.8 m/s² * (1 lb/0.45 kg)) / ((36 inches * 72 inches) / 144)
Calculating the expression in brackets first, we simplify this to:
Pressure = (70 * 9.8 * 0.45 * 144) / (36 * 72)
Evaluating the expression further, we get:
Pressure ≈ 12.71 psi
Therefore, your body exerts approximately 12.71 psi of pressure spread out upon the total area of the bed.