Question

A 50 kg girl wearing high heel shoes balances on a single heel. The heel is circular with a diameter 1.0 cm. What is the pressure exerted by the heel on the horizontal floor?

Answer 1

Mass of the girl, m = 50 kg
Diameter of the heel, d = 1 cm = 0.01 m
Radius of the heel, $r=\frac{d}{2}=0.005m$
Area of the heel $=\pi r^2=\pi (0.005{)}^2=7.85\times {10}^{-5}{m}^2$
Force exerted by the heel on the floor:
F = mg =$50\times 9.8=490N$
Pressure exerted by the heel on the floor:
$P=\frac{Force}{Area}=\frac{490}{7.85\times {10}^{-5}}=6.24\times {10}^{6}N{m}^{-2}$
Therefore, the pressure exerted by the heel on the horizontal floor is $6.24\times {10}^{6}N{m}^{–2}$