Allen,
And you still do not get what I am saying, describing, and referring to.
Are you, or are you not, applying 'pressure' to the 4" ball?
I am using 'pressure' as in the normal and typical way 'press on that for me', whereas you are trying to use it in the way of "pressure per ... ", i.e., psi, psf, however, your use does not work until you *also* state the rest of the "pressure statement" ... the psi, psf, etc.
Pressure - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure)
1pres·sure noun \ˈpre-shər\
: the weight or force that is produced when something presses or pushes against something else
: the action of pressing or pushing against something
: the weight of the air in the Earth's atmosphere
Full Definition of PRESSURE
1 a : the burden of physical or mental distress
1 b : the constraint of circumstance : the weight of social or economic imposition
2 : the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3 archaic : impression, stamp
4 a : the action of a force against an opposing force
4 b : the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by its area
4 c : electromotive force
5 : the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention : exigency <people who work well under pressure>
6 : the force of selection that results from one or more agents and tends to reduce a population of organisms <population pressure> <predation pressure>
7 : the pressure exerted in every direction by the weight of the atmosphere
8 : a sensation aroused by moderate compression of a body part or surface
— pres·sure·less adjective
See pressure defined for English-language learners »
See pressure defined for kids »
Examples of PRESSURE
* Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.
* the pressure of the compressed air inside the chamber
* The animal's jaws can exert a pressure of more than 750 pounds per square inch.
* The horse will respond to the slightest pressure of a rider's knee.
* The fruit yields to gentle pressure when it's ripe.
* the normal air pressure at sea level
* He gave in to the social pressures to act and dress like everybody else.
* She felt a constant pressure to earn more money.
You still don't have it right. I know what the dictionary says, but that is not technical-speak. About 95% of the time when someone says they are putting "pressure" on something, they mean "force." When you push a door open you are not applying "pressure." Pressure is always measured in pounds/sq. in. A good example to compare the two is to imagine you are in a room with good seals and someone puts a hose in the room and pumps it up to 10 lbs/sq.in. "pressure." It is obvious this is not a "force." Imagine the room has two doors, one is 4ft by 8ft. and the other is 3ft. by 7ft. Both doors see and feel exactly the same pressure, 10lbs./sq.in. But each door sees a different "force." The big door feels 23 tons and the little door feels 15 tons. Obviously both would be blown off the hinges. When you push your little 4" ball against the horizontal cables you are not applying "pressure," you are applying a "force." This is the same as "weight." No one talks about the "pressure" of gravity, (at least nobody I know), it is always the "force" of gravity. Which is exactly the same with the ball and cables, just horizontally, not vertically. You have "pressure" in your tires (lbs/sq.in.), but your tires exert a "force" on the ground (lbs.) If you want to nitpick you could measure the little tire footprint and calculate the cars "pressure" I suppose. If someone asks you how much your truck weighs you would not give the answer in lbs./sq.in, I hope. Likewise with the ball, the force to push the ball through the cables is measured in lbs., not lbs./sq.in.