Social Studies Connection

People, not only recently, but for many years and many cultures, have laid across

beds of nails, pits of glass, and craters of other sharp objects.

People from all around the world go to places that do such things, just to see if they as

individuals can withstand the pain or even make it across a pit of glass. Although many

people try, not everyone can make it across the pit of glass without getting their

feet completely bloody.

Still, many other people are brave enough to lay on full beds of nails. These practices

are seen all around the world, and while some only lie on the bed, others have taken to

stacking, sometimes even multiple, blocks of cement on top of their bodies, pushing

their skin even farther into the nails. Regardless of the amount of weight some

people have placed atop their bodies, most people will not leave with more

than a couple of punctures and scratches.

These customs, which may seem crazy and absurd to some, are actually viewed

as paramedic to others. Beds of nails have inspired products in a similar style,

such as an American product created by the company "Bed of Nails: Nailing a healthier

lifestyle." These products take the same ideas of actual beds of nails and create small

mats with plastics disks used as a sort of acupuncture product that does not require

the puncture of the skin, allowing anyone to use such products without

needing professional assistance.

Regardless, such products, as stated on the company's website, can not be used or

around children, because they can still be pretty sharp and can hurt any

one who does not know how to use them properly.

Many people who use these products are aware of why their skin is not harmed

when laying across such products. When someone applies their body weight

on a sharp object and is not harmed, in physics it is said that this person, since

their weight is evenly distributed, no harm comes to their skin.

The real secret, is to ensure that the pressure of any object is focused along various

points, not just one. When the weight of the object is being applied to that single

point, the object is therefore pushing against the other sharper object with more force,

and if there are nails or glass involved, that does not look like fun place to be.

To conclude, if the weight on an object is evenly distributed, the amount of pressure

the object has on the other sharper object is also distributed across the, for example,

bed of nails or shards of glass.