How well will my couch be rumbled?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the mechanics of force application to a couch using a device that exerts 10 Lbf (44.5 N) and has a mass of 2.5 pounds. It concludes that regardless of the force produced by the device, the couch will only experience an indentation equivalent to the weight of the device itself, which is 2.5 pounds. Additionally, it is established that a ball of the same mass would need to be at zero speed to achieve the same indentation effect, emphasizing the principle that force application does not exceed the weight of the object resting on the surface.

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  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion
  • Basic knowledge of force and mass relationships
  • Familiarity with concepts of indentation and pressure
  • Awareness of static versus dynamic forces
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I have this thing, given about 25 watts, it'll provide a force of 10 Lbf (44.5 N) This thing has a mass of ~2.5 pounds. I'll mount it to a couch with a mass of about 200 pounds (with a person on it)

What'll happen?

If I had a ball that was the same mass, and threw it at the couch, how fast would the ball be traveling to produce the same force?

Thanks.

If you need any more info just ask.
 
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A device which has a mass of 2.5 pounds and produces a force of 10 lbs can only indent the couch with the force of 2.5 pounds. If the device had the same mass and produced a force of 1 million pounds, the couch would still be indented by 2.5 pounds.
Think of a hydraulic jack with it's rear end resting on the couch.

How fast should the 2.5 lb ball thrown at the couch be traveling to achieve the same indentation effect? Zero speed. Just rest it on the couch.
 

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