Pressure

- Pressure is force acting normally per unit area.

If the amount of applied force is the same, then

 Larger area --> Lower pressure

 Smaller area --> Higher pressure

Examples of Pressure
 Skis have a large area to hold up the weight of the skier on the snow
 Flat bottomed shoes are comfortable to wear due to reduced pressure acting on our feet 
 A sharp knife can cut easily because the very high pressure under the cutting surface is more
than the object can withstand

 Atmospheric Pressure
 Atmospheric pressure exists because of MOLECULAR BOMBARDMENT of energetic air
molecules (from the air around us)
 Under normal conditions, there are large numbers of air molecules and these molecules move
with high velocities. They make frequent collisions with things around us 
 The pressure exerted by the air molecules is almost equivalent to putting a 1 kg mass on an area
of 1 cm2
 Normal atmospheric pressure= 1 atm (about 1.013 x 10 5 pa or 101300 pa) 
 101300 Nm-2 = 10.13 Ncm-2 = 1.013 kgcm-2

Applications of atmospheric pressure

 Drinking with a straw
 Drawing a liquid into a syringe by withdrawing the plunger 
 Holding a rubber sucker on a smooth surface 
 Removing dust with vacuum cleaner

Pressure due to a liquid column

 The taller the liquid column (with narrow base), the larger the amount of liquid contained, the
greater the weight of the liquid to exert pressure
 The amount of pressure in the SAME liquid column is DIFFERENT at DIFFERENT DEPTHS. 
 The greater the depth, the greater the weight of the liquid above it, the greater the pressure

 The pressure in a liquid depends on the HEIGHT of the liquid

  The amount of pressure increases with DEPTH

2 cases of liquid pressure

1. With atmospheric pressure

 p = p0 + ρgh
 Pressure at bottom = atmospheric pressure + pressure due to liquid column In this case, when
the container is open, there is atmospheric pressure acting on the liquid as well.

2. Without atmospheric pressure

 p = ρgh
 Pressure at bottom = pressure due to liquid column only In this case, when the container is
closed, air is removed (vacuum), so there is no atmospheric pressure.


Factors affecting pressure in a liquid

1.Density of liquid

2.Depth of liquid
3. Gravitational acceleration

When it is at equilibrium, pressure must be the same at any point along the same depth (h).

Note: pressure does not depend on the shape of the liquid column.

Measurement of pressure
Simple Mercury Barometer

- Used to measure atmospheric pressure

How to construct

 A thick-walled glass tube (about 1m long) is filled with mercury completely

 The open end of the tube is covered with a finger and inverted
 Place the inverted tube in a trough of mercury

Observation: The height of the mercury column found to be about 760mm or 76cm

Atmospheric pressure = 1 atm or 760 mmHg or 76 cmHg

Reasons for using mercury in a barometer

 Mercury does not wet glass

 Mercury has a high density
Manometer

- Used to measure gas pressure

How to construct

 The manometer consists of a U-tube containing a column of liquid

 The liquid can be mercury, water or oil

How to measure?

 When both arms are open, same atmospheric pressure is exerted on the liquid surfaces (same
horizontal level)
 To measure the pressure of a gas, left side is connected to a gas supply 
 The gas exerts pressure on the surface at L. The gas pressure must be greater than atmospheric
pressure to cause the right side to rise 
 Pressure at L given by p = p0 + ρgh

Hydraulic System
 Pressure can be transmitted throughout a liquid in hydraulic presses
 When a small force is applied to the smaller piston, pressure is exerted on the liquid 
  This pressure is transmitted in the liquid (oil) and is the same everywhere within the oil. Thus the
pressure at the bigger piston must also be p. 
 Since area at the bigger piston is bigger, force must also be greater

A small force applied to the smaller piston can lift a greater load on the bigger piston

Additional Notes
 Pressure is the force acting normal or perpendicularly per unit area
 SI unit: Pascal (Pa) or N/m2

Pressure  Solid Liquid Gas

in:
 Equation  Pressure = Pressure = hpg The air surrounding us
Force/Area exerts a pressure in all
h = depth of liquid (m) directions which is about
p = density of liquid 105 Pa.
(kg/m3)
g = gravitational field
strength
 Remarks  This formula can - A liquid exerts pressure - A barometer is used to
only because of its weight. measure pressure. It
be used for solids. - Liquid pressure acts consists of an inverted
equally in all directions. tube in a dish of
This is because particles mercury. The space
of the water can flow and above the mercury in the
wrap around the object. tube is vacuum.
- Liquid mercury is used
as its density is very
high and a shorter
barometer can be used
to show
atmospheric pressure.
- An object can be
bent/sucked in due to
the production of
vacuum
and due to the difference
in pressure; the
atmospheric pressure
will press on the object.

MCQ Questions
1. Stiletto heels can exert great pressure mainly due to
a. the large force acting on it
b. the small force acting on it
c. its large surface area
d. its small surface area

2. Which of the following places has the highest atmospheric pressure?

a. on the top of a hill
b. in a cable car
c. on the roof top of a tall building
d. at the bottom of the sea

3. Wind blows
a. from areas of high atmospheric pressure to low pressure areas
b. from areas of low atmospheric pressure to high pressure areas
c. only at areas above normal atmospheric pressure
d. only at areas below normal atmospheric pressure

4. The pressure in a liquid decreases with

a. increase in surface area
b. decrease in surface area
c. increase in depth
d. decrease in depth

5. A simple barometer filled with water has to have a minimum length of

a. 1cm
b. 10cm
c. 10m
d. 100m

6. A block of wood measuring 6m by 3m by 0.5m is placed on a table. If the mass of the block of wood is
4500kg, what is the pressure on the table due to the block? take gravitational force acting on a mass of
1kg to be 10N
a. 2500Pa
b. 5000Pa
c. 9000Pa
d.22500Pa

7. A man stands on snow wearing a pair of skis. The total mass of the man is 60kg and each of the skis
has an area of 0.2m2 in contact with the snow.  A 1kg mass has a gravitational force of 10N acting on it.
What pressure does the man exert on the snow?
a. 15N/m2
b. 30N/m2
c. 1500N/m2
d. 3000N/m2

8. Which of the following does not cause the height of the mercury column of a simple mercury barometer
to vary?
a. changes in atmospheric pressure
b. changes in temperature of the mercury
c. changes in the value of g
d. evaporation of mercury from the barometer reservoir
e. leakage of air into the tube

9. In which of the following examples is the greatest pressure exerted?

a. a barefooted person standing on the beach
b. a brick resting on the ground
c. a book resting on a table
d. an elephant standing on the ground
e. a knife cutting a piece of meat

10. A tank 3 m long, 1 m wide, and 0.5 m deep is filled with oil which weighs 12 000 N. What is the
pressure on the base of the tank due to the oil?
a. 4000 Pa
b. 6000 Pa
c. 8000 Pa
d. 18 000 Pa
e. 24 000 Pa

11. Water of depth 10m exerts a pressure equal to atmospheric pressure. An air bubble rises to the
surface of a lake which is 20m deep. When the bubble reaches the surface, its volume is 6cm 3. What was
the volume of the air bubble at the bottom of the lake?
a. 2cm3
b. 3cm3
c. 12cm3
d. 18cm3

12. A rigid tank containing air at atmospheric pressure has a capacity of 5000 cm 3. A bicycle hand pump
with a capacity of 500cm3 is used to pump more air into the rigid container. Given that the hand pump is
pumped twice to push two tubes of air into the tank, what is the final air pressure in the tank? (take
atmospheric pressure as 100 000 Pa)
a. 100 000 Pa
b. 120 000 Pa
c. 500 000 Pa
d. 1 000 000 Pa

MCQ Answers
1. d
2. d
3. a
4. d
5. c
6. a
7. c
8. d
9. d
10. a
11. a
12. b 
total vol of air at atm = 5000 + (2 x 500) = 6000cm 3
P1V1 = 100 000 x 6000
Vol of air in rigid container after pumping 2 tubes of air into it = 5000cm 3
P2V2 = P2 x 5000
P1V1 = P2V2
100 000 x 6000 = P2 x 5000
P2 = 120 000 Pa

Structured Question Worked Solutions

1. The figure shows a mercury barometer on a day when the atmospheric pressure is 750mmHg.
What is the pressure at point B, at the bottom of the mercury reservoir?

Solution
Pressure = 750 + 80 = 830 mmHg

2. The figure shows a manometer with limbs of cross-sectional area of 0.0015m 2. It contains a
liquid which exerts a pressure of 5000Nm-3. Calculate
i. the volume of liquid between the levels PQ and RS in the left-hand tube
ii. the weight of the volume of liquid in i.
iii. the excess pressure, in Nm-2, of the gas supply above the surrounding atmospheric pressure

Solution

i. volume = 0.0015 x 0.5 = 0.00075m3

ii. weight = 0.00075 x 5000 = 3.75N
iii. pressure = 3.75/0.00015 = 2500Nm-2

3. When a block of metal of mass 1.2kg stands on a horizontal surface, the area of contact
between the block and the surface is 8.0cm2. Assuming that the force of gravity acting on a mass
of 1kg is 10N, calculate the pressure exerted by the block on the surface.

Solution

pressure = force/area = (1.2 x 10)/8 = 1.5Nm-2

4. The figure shows a U-tube manometer connected to a gas cylinder of large volume. The atmospheric pressure is 76cm of mercury.
ai. What is the pressure at A in the right-hand tube?
aii. What is the pressure at B in the left-hand tube?
b. The tap is opened and mercury is run out until the level in the left-hand tube drops to the 60cm mark.
i. assuming that the pressure in the gas cylinder remains constant, what is the new position of the level in the right-hand tube?
ii. Explain how you arrived at your answer.

Solution
ai. 76cmHg. (because A is exposed to the atmosphere so it experiences atmospheric pressure)
aii. 106cmHg (because the pressure at B equals the point in line with it in the other tube. The pressure there is atmospheric pressure + pressure due to
the column of mercury) = 76 + 30
bi. The new position in the right-hand tube is at the 30cm mark
bii. The pressure of the gas cylinder remains the same, hence the difference between the levels of mercury in A and B remains constant. Since B drops
by 20cm, A likewise will drop by 20cm from the 10cm mark to the 30cm mark.

5. The figure shows two vertical tubes P and Q, each closed at the upper end. The pressure in the
space above the mercury meniscus in tube P is negligibly small. There is a small amount of air in
this space in the tube Q.
The density of mercury is 13.6 x 10 kg/m3. The gravitational force on a mass of 1.00kg is 10.0N.
Determine
i. the atmospheric pressure, in Pa, at that time.
ii. the pressure, in Pa, exerted by the air in the space at the top of tube Q
Solution

i. Atmosphere pressure = hpg = (75.0/100)(13.6 x 10 3)(10.0) = 1.02 x 105 Pa

ii. air pressure at top of tube Q = atmospheric pressure - liquid pressure due to 60.0cm of mercury
= 1.02 x 105 - (60.0/100)(13.6 x 103)(10.0)
= 2.04 x 104 Pa

6. The tyres of a car are in contact with the ground over a total area 3.0 x 10 -2 m2. The total weight
of the car is 6300N. Calculate the pressure exerted by the tyres on the ground.

Why would you expect the temperature of the tyres to have risen after the car has been in motion
for some time?

Solution

Pressure exerted by the tyres = weight/area = 6300/3.0 x 10-2 = 210 000 N/m2
The temperature of the tyres rises because the work done in overcoming friction with the road is
transformed to heat energy