Describe some practical applications from daily life which make use of the concept of pressure.
Practical applications based on the concept of pressure are as given below:
1. A sharp knife cuts better than a blunt one. The area of a sharp edge is much less than the area of blunt edge. Therefore, the effective force per unit area is more for the sharp edge than the blunt edge. Hence, a sharp edge cuts better.
2. Railway tracks are laid on large sized wooden sleepers. Therefore, the force due to the weight of the train is on a larger area. Hence, this reduces the pressure considerably. This prevents sinking of the ground under the weight of the train.
3. Pins and nails are made to have pointed ends. Their pointed ends have very small area. When a force is applied over the head of a pin or a nail, it transmits a large pressure (force/area) on the surface and hence easily penetrates through the surface.
