Question #38469

1 Answer
May 30, 2017

The amount of surface area in contact with the ground is far less when the man is walking than when he is standing still.

Explanation:

If we calculate pressure as the the force exerted per unit area

color(white)(aaaaaaaaaaaaaa)"Pressure"= ("Force")/("Area")aaaaaaaaaaaaaaPressure=ForceArea

and compare the pressure when walking (only the heel of 1 foot in contact, in this instance) vs. when standing still (both feet are in contact), taking the average weight of the man as 720" N"720 N, then

color(white)(--)"Heel SA: 0.0064 m"^2 and "SA of both feet: 0.0258m"^2Heel SA: 0.0064 m2andSA of both feet: 0.0258m2

(source: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/JackGreen.shtml)

color(white)(aa)aa

color(blue)"when walking"rArr"P"= ("720 N")/("0.0064 m"^2)=112500 N/m^2when walkingP=720 N0.0064 m2=112500Nm2

color(white)(--)"vs"vs

color(red)"when standing still"rArr"P"= ("720 N")/("0.0258 m"^2) = 27907 N/m^2when standing stillP=720 N0.0258 m2=27907Nm2

we clearly see that the Pressure is "4 x"4 x greater when the person walks as opposed to when he stands still on both legs.