A 7.5 kg block is placed on a table. If its bottom surface area is 0.6 m2, how much pressure does the block exert on the tabletop?
Pressure is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. We calculate the pressure applied to the system above by the expression:
P = F / A
where F = mg
P = mg / A
P = (7.5 x 9.8) / 0.6
P = 122.5 Pa