5.4 Pressure

Recall and use the relationship between pressure, force and area:

NB: 1N/m² = 1Pa

Using the Formula

Calculate the pressure generated by an ordinary shoe heel (person of mass 40kg, heel 5cm x 5cm), an elephant (of mass 500kg, foot of 20cm diameter) and a high-heeled shoe (person of mass 40kg, heel area 0.5cm­²). Which ones will damage a wooden floor that starts to yield at a pressure of 4000 kPa?

1. Ordinary shoe heel

2. Elephant

3. High-heeled shoe

Clearly one can see that the high-heeled show will do the most damage to the floor.