A wooden box of mass 2 kg and dimensions (30 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm) is placed on a table with sides 30 cm and 10 cm touching the tabletop. Which one of the following is the approximate pressure exerted on the table?

Pressure is defined as the force per unit area. In this scenario, the force exerted by the wooden box is its weight, calculated as mass (m) multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (g). Given a mass of 2 kg and taking g as approximately 10 m/s² (a common standard in such problems), the force is 20 N. The area of contact is determined by the dimensions touching the table: 30 cm and 10 cm. Converting these to meters gives 0.3 m and 0.1 m, resulting in a contact area of 0.03 m². Applying the formula P = F/A, the pressure is 20 N / 0.03 m², which equals approximately 666.67 N/m². This matches the value in option 4, assuming standard gravitational acceleration and unit conversion principles.

Sources

1. [1] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 6: Pressure, Winds, Storms, and Cyclones > 6.1 Pressure > p. 82