To determine the minimum width of a square concrete column that can withstand a load of 9 × 10^5 newtons, we need to consider the strength of the concrete and the maximum allowable stress.
Concrete has a maximum allowable stress called the compressive strength. This is the maximum stress that the concrete can handle before it starts to fail. The compressive strength of concrete is usually given in units of pressure, such as megapascals (MPa) or pounds per square inch (psi).
To calculate the minimum width of the column, we can use the formula:
Minimum width = Load / (Compressive strength × Height)
However, to use this formula, we need to know the compressive strength of the concrete and the height of the column. Let's assume that the compressive strength of the concrete is 30 MPa and the height of the column is 3 meters.
Using the formula, we can calculate the minimum width:
Minimum width = 9 × 10^5 N / (30 MPa × 3 m)
= 9 × 10^5 N / (30 × 10^6 N/m^2 × 3 m)
= 9 × 10^5 N / (90 × 10^6 N/m^2)
= 10 × 10^5 N / (90 × 10^6 N/m^2)
= 1/9 m
= 0.1111 m
Therefore, the minimum width of the square concrete column that can withstand a load of 9 × 10^5 newtons is approximately 0.1111 meters or 111.1 millimeters.