ABSTRACT
If the same person were to put on a pair of shoes with a pointed heel (e.g., stilettos) the area in contact with the ground would decrease. If the new contact area was 0.002 m2 the pressure in this situation would be:
750 N / 0.002 m2 = 375,000 N/m2 = 375 kPa
or
375 kPa / 101.325 kPa = 3.70 Atmospheres
In both the above situations the force was the same but the pressure differed significantly. This is important in the study of human movement as looking at pressure gives an indication of the distribution of the load. From the injury perspective, the body is more likely to suffer damage and pain from a force concentrated in a small area (and thus a high pressure) than if the same load was distributed more widely. For example, it is more painful to have your foot trodden on by someone wearing stilettos than someone wearing flat shoes.
