People wear special snowshoes when there is a snowfall in the cold countries. Why?

The fundamental function of snowshoes is to offer float, allowing you to avoid sinking into snow. Hikers who do not have snowshoes may find themselves knee- or waist-deep in unconsolidated snow if they attempt to traverse it without snowshoes, a practice known as post-holing.

Explanation:

Explanation:

I live in a cold country and I own snow shoes. I have to confess I've never thought about this question before.

If the snow is fresh, it is also very loosely packed. If you wear ordinary shoes, the first thing that will happen is that you will sink. How far depends on how deep the snow is. I can see you up to your waist in snow, if the snowfall is heavy enough.

So to prevent that, my snowshoes are 3 feet long and about 1 foot wide, Except for a small hole near the middle, the entire area is covered. I weigh about 140 pounds.

A very small calculation should tell you that if I wear house shoes (mine are 8" long by about 3 inches wide). The pressure is going to be 140 pounds / (2/3 * 1/4) = 140 // 2/12 = 140 / 1/6 = 140 *  6 = 840 pounds / square foot. Trust me, that is a lot of pressure.

What do the snowshoes accomplish?

140 / (3*1) = 46.7 pounds per square foot. You might sink a little, but you are not going down as far as you would with street clothes shoes.

The units are not the normal units you would use, but the ratio is going to be roughly the same. 840 / 46.

All of this is very approximate. That's what physics is all about. Approximations lead you to understanding.

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