Answer to Question #154103 in General Chemistry for Elizar Dela Cruz

Question

If you are pounding a nail and miss it, the hammer may dent the wood, but it does not penetrate it. Use the concept of pressure to explain this observation

Answer 1

Pressure is the force applied to unit area. Since the area of the hammer is much greater than the area of the nail end, although you apply the same force, the pressure created by the hammer is not enough to penetrate wood: the same force is distributed over a greater area.