You are holding a block of wood with dimensions 3 cm 6 cm 9 cm on the palm of your hand. Which side must be touching your hand for you to experience the greatest force?

A. 3 cm x 6 cm side

B. 6 cm x 9 cm side

C. You will experience the same amount of force on all sides.

D. 9 cm x 3 cm side

C. You will experience the same amount of force on all sides.

Explanation:

This is because the only force acting on your hand as a result of the wooden block is gravitational force because no external pressure is exerted on the block.

Gravitational force is a product of mass and acceleration. It has nothing to do with the surface area of the object.

Hence, regardless of the surface of the wooden block resting on your palm, the force remains the same.

C. You will experience the same amount of force on all sides.

The normal force of weight will not differ for different positions of the block.

But the force of pressure applied to the surface of your hand is per unit area. So the side with the smallest area (3 cm x 6 cm) will exert more pressure over a smaller area.