Calculate Max Force Exerted by Octopus in Salt Water 32.3m Deep

[amjber2]

A very powerful octopus uses one sucker of diameter 2.75 cm on each of the two shells of a clam in an attempt to pull the shells apart. Find the greatest force (N) that the octopus can exert in salt water 32.3 m depth.

I tried using F=PA but cannot seem to get the right answer. the depth is wat i think is messing me up. please help. thanks.

 

[The Bob]

A very powerful octopus uses one sucker of diameter 2.75 cm on each of the two shells of a clam in an attempt to pull the shells apart. Find the greatest force (N) that the octopus can exert in salt water 32.3 m depth.

I tried using F=PA but cannot seem to get the right answer. the depth is wat i think is messing me up. please help. thanks.

I believe you need to consider the resistive force to the direction that the octupus is pulling, so the water pressure. That force must be overcome.

Try this website for water pressure:
http://www.mrhall.org/science/waterpressurecalc/waterpressurecalc.htm

Can you show us some workings out?

The Bob (2004 ©)

 

[kyle8921]

To calculate the maximum force exerted by the octopus in salt water at a depth of 32.3m, we need to consider several factors such as the pressure at that depth and the surface area of the suction cups.

Firstly, we need to convert the depth of 32.3m into pressure, which can be done using the formula P = ρgh, where P is pressure, ρ is the density of salt water (which is approximately 1025 kg/m^3), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and h is the depth in meters. This gives us a pressure of approximately 316,225 Pa.

Next, we need to calculate the surface area of the suction cups. Since there are two suction cups with a diameter of 2.75 cm each, the total surface area can be calculated as follows:

Surface area = πr^2 = π(0.0275m)^2 = 0.00237 m^2

Now, we can use the formula F = PA to calculate the maximum force exerted by the octopus, where F is force, P is pressure, and A is surface area. Plugging in the values, we get:

F = (316,225 Pa) (0.00237 m^2) = 749.479 N

Therefore, the greatest force that the octopus can exert in salt water at a depth of 32.3m is approximately 749.479 N. It is important to note that this is only an estimation as there are other factors such as the strength of the octopus's muscles that can affect the actual force exerted.