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Person standing on exercise ball

Student 3057 9 years ago updated by Physics Tutorial Center Staff 9 years ago 1

A 3 kg exercise ball is at rest on the ground and its bottom flattens to a circle of diameter 5.2 cm. A person stands on the exercise ball, perfectly balances themself, and the area expands to a circle with 4 times the diameter. What is the mass of the person on the ball.


I have no idea how the area is dependent on the mass. It sounds like it has to do with pressure, would I use Pascal's Principle?

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Well, I believe you should use the idea of what pressure actually is. It is simply applying a force over an area. Therefore, I suggest finding it initially without the person standing on top of the ball and then comparing it with the person standing on top of it. You'll be able to find the mass of the person this way.