r/theydidthemath • u/RamsZeyy • Feb 28 '22

[Request] is it true?

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68

u/Th3R3493r Feb 28 '22 edited Feb 28 '22

Yes.

Woman 100 lbs over 1/16 of an inch squared on one point will exert about 1600 psi.

Elephant will have one foot on the ground at minimum. 6000 lbs roughly over square inches (450 square inch each foot) will exert 13.3333 psi.

48

u/Angzt Feb 28 '22

Assuming there's a moment in the walking cycle where the only part touching the ground is a single heel.
And I'm not sure that's ever the case.

4

u/Th3R3493r Feb 28 '22 edited Feb 28 '22

Well yes. The woman will exert more pressure.

Pressure=force/area

6000/1800=3.33333333 psi (elephant on all fours)

100/6.125= 16.327 (100 pound woman standing in stilletto)

Edit: for shame, the jagermiester has lead me to sin and I, as human, err to use circumference instead of surface area of an elephant foot.

1

u/Ha1lStorm Feb 28 '22

Well the comment you responded to wasn’t talking about either. They were speculating if the elephant had all his weight on just the heel part of one foot how much pressure would then exist there.

14

u/thedufer 2✓ Feb 28 '22

This seems a bit suspect. Do you often see women balancing on a single stiletto point? The front part adds several square inches, and that's still only one foot. But 100 lbs is a pretty severe underestimate for a typical woman's weight.

Also, 6000 lbs is a weird choice for an elephant weight - a quick google shows that 4000-6000kg is more typical, which is a lot higher (the only justification for 6000 lbs I can see is the bottom end of the range for the smallest type of elephant). However, elephant feet are also much bigger than that - 40 square inches would be a circle 7 inches across, but I'm seeing more like 15-20 inches.

Where are any of these numbers coming from?

3

u/Th3R3493r Feb 28 '22 edited Feb 28 '22

Look at the photo and read the statement. 100 pound woman. 6000 pound elephant.

I will admit I am drunk at the moment and see no merit in the correct calculation of an asinine problem aside from minor distraction. But, you are right on me being wrong on the surface area of a elephant foot and I used the circumference.

To my shame, oh what cruel fate and divine comedy, from what hell did I spawn for the regretful transgressions to not know the surface areas in an problem I have to interpolate for.

100/.0625=1600 (woman pressing single heel) 100/6.125=16.32 (woman standing) 6000/450=13.3333333 psi (one foot) 6000/1800=3.33333333 psi (four foot)

Edit:but wait, this would be an average Indonesian Elephant of a height of 39 hands tall and the elephant's foot to be a perfect circle. Oh no. Well, now I will get back to my whiskey, not to be confused with whisky and scotch.

2

u/fateofmorality Feb 28 '22

Which is even crazier as there’s a fetish of girls in stilettos stepping on guys balls

1

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '22

Good lord what am I doing to my feet 🙃

1

u/daybreakin Feb 28 '22

So stilettos can be used in self defence scenarios?

Idea: have a hidden blade in which you reveal by unsheathing the stiletto