2008 HS Photo Contest Pictures

2008 High School Physics Photo Contest Pictures

2008 AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest
Winner's Showcase

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Honorable Mention - Contrived

Title: High Heeled Shoes Illustrate The Nature Of Pressure
Student: Anna Russel
School: Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, CA
Teacher: David Lapp

The high heeled shoes in the photograph above illustrate the nature of pressure. The girl in the photograph wears a different high heeled shoe on each foot; one with a very thin heel, the other with a relatively block-like heel. The left shoe (the thin heel) has a surface area on its heel about the size of the nail on a person’s pinky finger. In contrast, the right shoe’s heel has a much bigger surface area. Because the pressure applied on the mat by each shoe can be defined as force divided by area, the pressure on the heel with the smaller surface area will be much greater. On the thin heeled shoe, the girl’s weight is concentrated into a tiny surface area whereas on the blocky high-heeled shoe, the girl’s weight is distributed over a larger surface area. The resulting difference in pressure is evident in the deep impression made on the mat by the thin-heeled shoe and the relatively light impression made by the thick-heeled shoe.


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