Aluminum Slab pressure on ground

Question

A large rectangular slab of aluminum with dimensions 1.9 x 0.8 m by 0.28 m is placed on the ground on its greatest area. Using eBook table 4.4, what pressure does the slab exert on the ground (in N/m²).

Answer 1

Multiply length, width, and thickness to get volume in m³. Look up the density of aluminum in your eBook table 4.4. Make sure that the density is in kg/m³; if it isn't then you'll need to convert it to be kg/m³.

Multiply volume and density to get the mass in kg.

Use Newton's 2nd Law F = ma to convert mass into weight. W = mg = (mass calculated)(9.8 m/s²) to get the weight in Newtons.

Now divide the weight (N) by the area that is touching the ground (1.9 m x 0.8 m) or 1.52 m² to get your final answer