What is the difference between a point load and a uniform ally distributed load?

Answer 1

Lets say you have a 1 foot by 1 foot piece of plywood. Lets also say that your feet are 12 inches long and when both feet are together are 12 inches wide. Now if you stood on the plywood with both feet you would be distributing your weight over the entire 1 foot by 1 foot area (distributed loading). If you took the same piece of plywood and were able to apply all your weight through your finger and placed that somewhere in the plywood, that point would be loaded at that single point (point loading).

Answer 2

A point load is a concentrated force acting at a specific point on a structure, while a uniformly distributed load is a force spread out evenly over a certain area or length. Point loads create concentrated stress points, while uniformly distributed loads create more uniform stress distribution across the structure.