FORCES AND PRESSURE

PRESSURE
Notes [30 minutes]
Pressure is defined as the normal force exerted per unit area



SI Unit : or (Pa)
When a force is acting over a small area it gives a .area.
UNDERSTANDING PRESSURE IN LIQUIDS













Pressure,P = Force,F
Area, A
Pressure in
liquids
Transmitted
through water
Acts in all
direction
P = hg where
= density
h = height
g = gravity
2
UNDERSTANDING GAS PRESSURE AND ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
Gas pressure is the force per unit area exerted by the gas particles as they
collide with the walls of their container





Explain gas pressure using the kinetic theory



Show gas molecules moving in a box. The collision of the gas molecules with the
walls of the container results in a change in momentum. The rate of change of
momentum results in a force. This force when acted over a surface area create
pressure of the gas.
Measuring gas pressure


P
B
= P
A
Gas pressure P
B
= P
o
+ hg
Gas pressure
Determine by
the rate of
collisions
Increases when
the number of
gas particles
increases
Increases when
the temperature
rises
Measured by using
Bourdon gauge and
manometer
3







The mercury column shows that the atmosphere can support a column of
mercury 76 cm Hg. The pressure at the bottom of the mercury column is 76/100
X13.4 X1000 X 10 Pa. This is the same as the atmospheric pressure.







Atmospheric
pressure
Force per unit area
exerted against surface
by the weight of air
molecules above it
Decreases when the
altitude increases
Increases when
the temperature
decreases
Measured by using
Barometer Fortin
and Barometer
aneroid
Atmospheric pressure, P
A
= P
B
P
A
= hg
= 76/100 X13.4 X1000 X 10 Pa

4
ACTIVITY [ 50 minutes]
1. What is the unit of measure for pressure? Express in term of basic
units...................................
2.



What is the pressure exerted by the 12kg box on the table?[Assume,g =
10 Nkg
-1
]
P = F =
A


3. The figure shows a 440 g wooden block.

The wooden block will exert the maximum pressure when it is standing on
the surface

0.4 m
0.3 m
0.2

5
What is the maximum pressure exerted by the wooden
block?[Assume,g=10 Nkg
-1
]

4. If an elephant and a giraffe have the same weight, which animal will exert
a deeper footprint on the ground? Why?





5. A cylindrical pole of mass 120 kg has cross-sectional area of 200 cm
2
.
Find the pressure exerted by the pole when it is standing vertically on the
ground. [ g = 10 ms
-2
]









6
6. Given that the density of water is 1000 kgm
-3
, calculate the water pressure
acting on the diver at a depth of 10 m below the water surface.[ g = 10
ms
-2
].





7. The figure shows a glass tube filled with 60 cm of liquid A and 40 cm of
liquid B. The density of liquid A and liquid B are 1000 kgm
-3
and 2500
kgm
-3
respectively. What is the liquid pressure of
(a) liquid A at point X
(b) liquid A and liquid B at point Y[g = 10 ms
-2
]



7
8. If a fish can withstand water pressure of 250 kPa, what is the maximum
depth the fish can go under the water surface? [ g = 10 ms
-2
, density of
sea water = 1000 kgm
-3
]




ASSESSMENT [40 minutes]
Objective [10 minutes]





Question 1 2 refer to the above figure;
1. The surface of the floor can withstand pressure of not more than 20 kPa
from the base of a 400 kg marble table.
What is the suggested area for the base of the table to avoid breaking the
floor?
A. 0.02 m
2

B. 0..2 m
2

C. 2 m
2

D. 20 m
2

8
2. If the table has a base of 0.33 m
2
, what is the maximum load that can be
placed on the tabletop?
A. 260 kg
B. 660 kg
C. 2600 kg
D. 6600 kg
E. 6060 kg

3. Liquid X is poured into arm Q of a U-tube that is filled with mercury. Arm P
is then filled with water until mercury in both arms are at the same level.
Which of the following statements is true?
A. the height of liquid X increases when the atmospheric pressure
increases
B. the pressure at point T is higher than at point U
C. point R and point S have the same pressure
D. the density of water is higher than the density of liquid X
4. Which of the following instruments is used for measuring gas pressure?
A. Fortin barometer
B. Bourdon gauge
9
C. Aneroid barometer
D. Altimeter
5.

Based on the above figure of a simple mercury barometer, which of the
following is the correct pressure at points X, Y and Z?
X Y Z
A. 82 76 35
B. 76 82 35
C. 82 35 76
D. 35 76 82





10
Structured Questions [15 minutes]
1.

The figure above shows a simple mercury barometer.
(a) What is the atmospheric pressure in Nm
-2
?
[Density of mercury = 13600 kgm
-3
, g = 10 Nkg
-1
]




(b) What will happen to the height of the mercury column if
(i) the tube is slightly slanted?

(ii) there is some air in the vacuum area?

(c) Why is water not suitable to be used in a barometer?


11
(d)

The figure above shows a small amount of gas trapped in a J-tube.
Calculate the pressure of the trapped gas.
[Atmospheric pressure = 76 cm Hg]





2. A simple barometer is used to measure the atmospheric pressure.
(a) What is the purpose of having the vacuum space above the
mercury column?



12
(b) Calculate the value of the height, h of the column if the mercury is
replaced by water of density 1000 kgm
-3








(e) Give two reasons why a simple barometer is not suitable as an
altimeter






(c) What would be the effect on the height of the
column of mercury if some air were trapped
within the vacuum column?

.

.

(d) Explain what would you expect to see if a
wider tube replaces the glass tube

.

.
13
ESSAY [ 15 minutes]

(a) What is meant by
(i) pressure




(ii) atmospheric pressure?





(b) Explain briefly, with the aid of a labelled diagram, the structure of a simple
mercury barometer. Indicate clearly how the value of atmospheric
pressure is read from the barometer. Explain briefly why the value
obtained is the same when the cross-sectional area of the tube is
increased.




14























15
ANSWER KEY FOR ACTIVITIES

1. Nm
-2

2. 1500 Nm
-2

3. BCGF = 30 cm
2 ;
14.7 Pa

4. Giraffe, the smaller surface area gives the pressure
5. 6000 Pa
6 1 x 10
5
Pa
7. 6000 + 10000 = 16000 Pa
8. 15 m

Objective;
1. B
2. B
3. D
4. B
5. A

Structured Questions
1. (a) Atmospheric pressure = hg
= 0.76 x 13 600 x 10
= 103 360 Nm
-2
(b) (i) the height of the mercury column is unchanged
16
(ii) the height of the mercury column will reduce

(c) The water will wet the tube. Hence the reading will not be accurate.
(d) Gas pressure = 76 + 4 = 80 cm
2. (a) So that there is no air pressure acting here.
(b) 10.3 m
(c) the mercury column would be shorter
(d) there would be no difference in the height of the mercury column
(i) it is to long and big and therefore clumsy to bring up a mountain
(ii)the mercury is highly toxic and may spill
ESSAY
(a) (i) Pressure is the effect of the normal force acting on a unit area
Pressure,P = Force,F
Area, A
(ii) Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by the air on a body
(b) A mercury barometer consists of a 1 m long tube, closed at one end. The
tube is completely filled with mercury and carefully inverted over a trough of
mercury. The mercury in the tube will fall to a level of about 76 cm above the
level of the mercury in the trough. The space above the mercury level in the tube
is therefore a vacuum

17


Atmospheric pressure acting on the surface of the mercury in the trough supports
the column of mercury 76 cm high. Hence, we say that the atmospheric pressure
is 76 cm Hg.
The pressure in a fluid is given by P = hg
So , cross-sectional area of the tube has no bearing on the value obtained
Mercury
reservoir