why might your foot hurt if you kick a heavy desk or a wall?

Answer 1

uh.......

Answer 2

This is Newton's principle. To every action, there's a reaction. Your foot is one object, the heavy desk or wall is another object. Your foot, while kicking, produces a force. The desk or wall, when kicked, produces an equal and opposite force. But because the wall or desk is so much heavier than your foot, its force = mass x acceleration can be larger because of its mass. So they hit your foot back, painfully!

Answer 3

The density and mass of the desk/wall is greater than your foot can sustain or move. This makes the inertia and ability of the wall to stop your foot greater than the force of your foot which would otherwise tend to keep moving forward.

So the pressure of the impact is felt on your foot. And since you have nerves to signal this impact to your brain, you would feel pain.

If you kicked cardboard, or something that is lighter or less dense, then your foot would push this out of the way with the force. Like kicking water or styrofoam filler, that material would give in to the force of your foot moving.

But with the desk/wall, since this would not move, the force of the kick would not relieve the pressure forward or outward, but backwards onto your foot, where your nerves would feel it.

Answer 4

According to Newton's 3rd law, "Every action has an equal and opposite action", your foot kicks a heavy object and at the same time that heavy object kicks back at your foot with the same amount of force. Since your foot has pain receptors, your foot might hurt. Try it! The harder you kick a wall, the harder it kicks back at you. You can't touch something without it touching back at you!

Answer 5

Since this is physics - the kinetic energy of the foot (and force of the muscles) must absorbed. When the bones compress the flesh damage may be done and nerves are stressed in any case. The stressed nerves produce immediate pain and the inflamation as the body concentrates white and red blood cells to repair the damage causes long term pain.

Answer 6

NEWTON'S THIRD LAW OF MOTION:
Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction... and if you kick the desk hard the surface your foot touches had atoms which are very elastic ... they rebound the energy forced onto them hence your foot feels the reaction in equal amounts and hurts.

Answer 7

It's because your foot can take the energy, and a heavy desk can't.

Things that can easily bend or have a high yield strength can take more energy so ..... your foot can easily bend( transform) and it also it takes a lot to bend a heavy desk or a wall.!

Sooo... like a playdough can be easily bend, or transform so when you smash your hand on playdough it takes all the energy why? b/c it's easily for that object to take on energy than your hand!

Answer 8

Hmmm... maybe a broken toe or other bone in the foot? If you've kicked something, and your foot is still hurting after an hour or so, it might be a good idea to get yourself and your foot to the doctor.

Answer 9

It's very simple actually.
You see, pain is a learning tool.
The reason for your foot pain is so that you might learn something about life...like why other people don't kick desks or walls.

Answer 10

probably because you kicked a heavy desk or the wall

Answer 11

Shock? Depends, does it still hurt if so how long has it hurt for you could have bruised something or even worse fractured something, best thing to do in this case would be providing you have insurance just go to the er(emergancy room) and have it x-rayed.

Better safe then sorry if you did then they can do something about it or better tell you what to do if not your on your way home.