A stone sculpture and its plinth have a total weight of 27 000 N27\,000\ \text{N}27000 N. They are placed on identical support pads on an exhibition floor. The weight is shared equally between the pads.
The pressure on the floor must not exceed 60 000 Pa60\,000\ \text{Pa}60000 Pa.
Calculate the minimum total contact area of the support pads.
Give your answer in cm2\text{cm}^{2}cm2.
A protective case is added around the sculpture. This increases the total weight to 31 000 N31\,000\ \text{N}31000 N.
The table gives two possible arrangements of support pads.
| arrangement | number of pads | contact area of each pad in cm2\text{cm}^{2}cm2 |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 1200 |
| B | 6 | 900 |
Explain which arrangement should be used to prevent the maximum permitted pressure from being exceeded.
132 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 15.2 Pressure in fluids, covering 15.2.1 Atmospheric pressure and height, 15.2.2 Pressure in fluids, 15.2.3 Pressure, force and area, 15.2.4 Pressure and depth, 15.2.5 Pressure in liquids: depth and density, 15.2.6 Upthrust, and 15.2.7 Floating and sinking. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.