Science help? Force, Area, and Pressure?

A student going on a winter camping trip with her school will need to carry a heavy backpack. She decides to wear skis for the long trek instead of winter boots. Is this a good idea? Why or why not?

Science help? Force, Area, and Pressure?
She should choose the skis (assuming she's going somewhere where there's snow). The skis effectively spread out her weight over a greater surface area than her feet, making it easier (and less work in physics terms) to stay on or near the surface of the snow. Also, skis allow one to glide over the top of the snow, rather than having to lift the heavy boots during each step.





In pure physics terms, there is more force exerted per unit area using the boots than the skis. Because the amount of force the snow can apply upward (without excessive deformation), to the the student's weight (gravitational force of her mass) is fairly constant, she will have more luck if she minimizes the force per unit area by using the skis.



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