Question

Let's approximate my cat Gabby's paws as having a circular cross-section with a diameter of 2.55 cm. Her mass is 2.72 kg. Assume that her weight is evenly distributed over all four paws. Calculate the pressure in pascals felt by one of her paws.

Answer 1

We are given the following information

Diameter of Gabby's paws = 2.55 cm = 2.55/100 = 0.0255 m

Mass of Gabby = 2.72 kg

Assuming that her weight is evenly distributed over all four paws, the pressure felt by one of her paws is given by

`P=(F)/(A)`

Where F is the force and A is the area.

The force exerted on Gabby's paw is given by

`F=mg`

Where m is the mass and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s^2)

The circular area of Gabby's paw is given by

`A=\pi r^2=\pi((D)/(2))^2=\pi((0.0255)/(2))^2=5.10705*10^(-4)\; m^2`

So, the pressure is

`P=(F)/(A)=(mg)/(A)=(2.72\cdot9.81)/(5.10705*10^(-4))=52,247.78\; \; pa`

Therefore, the pressure felt by one of her paws is 52,247.78 pascals.