P= F/A

P=F/a – Real life-application

 

1. When designing a needle for doctors to use, they aim to minimize the area of the needle so as to minimize the amount of force doctors must use to produce the necessary amount of pressure to break through a person's skin when administering a shot .
2. When a diver enters the water after completing a dive they come down with the same amount of force. A diver must minimize the area of their body that first hits the water to maximize pressure when they hit the water (in order to break through the water easily. For example: If a person hits the water in a fully extended belly flop (large area) they will not hit the water with a lot of pressure and will stay on top of the water- very painful L In contrast if they enter the water with their pointed feet first, the small area exerts a large amount of pressure on the water- allowing the diver to easily penetrate the water and enter painlessly as well as gracefully (without a splash).