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NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 6 .1 Pressure — Table 6.1: Record your observations

Book page 826 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Driving an iron nail — by the head of the nail, and by the pointed end of the nail. Easy or difficult to perform? Give reasons.
Answer

Driving the nail by its pointed end is easy; driving it by its head is very difficult.

Mode of actionEasy or difficult?Reason
Hammering so that the pointed end enters the woodEasyThe tip has a tiny area, so the hammer's force gives a very large pressure there and the wood fibres part easily.
Hammering so that the head is pressed against the woodDifficultThe flat head has a much larger area. The same force now gives a small pressure, which is not enough to push the nail in.
Why it happens: the hammer blow is the same in both cases. Only the area over which it is delivered changes, and pressure is force divided by area. The point concentrates the force into a small patch of wood; the head spreads it out.
Safety first: the book asks that the activities in Table 6.1 be done only under the supervision of an adult.
Q2.
Cutting an apple with a knife — using the sharp edge of the knife, and using the blunt edge of the knife. Easy or difficult to perform? Give reasons.
Answer

The sharp edge cuts easily; the blunt edge does not.

Mode of actionEasy or difficult?Reason
Using the sharp edgeEasyThe edge is extremely thin, so its area of contact with the apple is minute. Even a gentle push gives an enormous pressure and the skin and flesh separate.
Using the blunt edgeDifficultThe blunt back of the blade has a much wider surface. The same push is spread over it, the pressure is low, and the apple is only squashed, not cut.
Did you know? This is why knives are sharpened rather than made heavier. Sharpening does not increase the force your hand can apply — it reduces the area, and that is what raises the pressure.
Q3.
What can you conclude from your observations in Table 6.1?
Answer

When the same force acts over a smaller area, the pressure produced is greater — and a greater pressure makes certain tasks easier.

Both rows of the table say the same thing in different words. The pointed end of a nail and the sharp edge of a knife succeed not because more force is used, but because the force is concentrated into a very small area. The head of the nail and the blunt edge of the knife fail because the same force is spread thin.

Pressure = Force / Area
Area small → Pressure large → nail goes in, apple is cut
Area large → Pressure small → nothing happens
Why it matters: the same idea explains the opposite choice too. Broad straps, broad bucket handles and the cloth pad under a head load all increase the area on purpose, because there we want the pressure to be small.
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