Question

An elephant has a weight of 40000 N, and her feet cover a total area of 0.1 m^2. A woman weighs 600 N, and the total area of her shoes in contact with the ground is 0.0015 m^2. Who exerts the greater pressure on the ground?

Answer 1

Both the elephant and the woman exert the same pressure of 400000 Pascals on the ground, despite the elephant being significantly heavier, as the pressure is equal due to the relative sizes of their footprints.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine who exerts the greater pressure on the ground—the elephant or the woman—we must calculate the pressure each one applies. Pressure is calculated by dividing the force (weight) by the area over which the force is distributed.

For the elephant:
Pressure = Force / Area = 40000 N / 0.1 m² = 400000 N/m² (Pascals).

For the woman:
Pressure = Force / Area = 600 N / 0.0015 m² = 400000 N/m² (Pascals).

Surprisingly, both the elephant and the woman exert the same pressure of 400000 Pascals on the ground. This is an interesting result because it shows that despite the significant difference in weight, the relative pressure can be equal due to the proportionate difference in the contact area.