HYDROSTATICS

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 HYDROSTATICS

the branch of
fluid mechanics
that studies

fluids
at rest
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 What is a FLUID?

A fluid is a substance that

can
flow
Liquid and aeriform substances
(gasses and vapours) are fluids
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 Smoke is a fluid

Water is a fluid
Air is a fluid

Oil is a fluid

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 Fluids conform to the boundaries
of the container in which they are
placed

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 DENSITY

At a given temperature, each substance has its own

density
which is
the ratio of a given mass of the substance and its volume:
𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒎
𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 = =
𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝑽
𝒌𝒈
𝑆𝐼 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡: 𝟑
𝒎
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 DENSITY

Normally, the higher is the temperature

of a substance the smaller is its density
becouse its volume increases with
temperature.

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Pressure is the magnitude F of a force acting perpendicular to a

surface divided by the area S of the surface over which the force acts.

𝑭⊥
𝑷=
𝑺
𝑵
𝑆𝐼 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡: = 𝑷𝒂 (𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙)
𝒎𝟐

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

𝐹 Force
Perpendicular force 𝐹⊥

Surface

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Pressure is not a vector

quantity but a scalar quantity

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
For a given pressure Force and Area are
directly proportional

𝐹 (𝑁)

𝐴 (𝑚2 )
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 PRESSURE

For a given Pressure Force and Area are directly proportional

Weight=10N Weight=20N

Area=1𝑚2 Area=2𝑚2

𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 10𝑁 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 20𝑁

Pressure= = 1𝑚2 = 10𝑃𝑎 Pressure= = 2𝑚2 = 10𝑃𝑎
𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
For a given Force, Pressure and Area are inversely proportional

𝑃 (𝑃𝑎)

𝐴 (𝑚2 )

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
For a given Force, Pressure and Area are inversely proportional

Weight=10N
Weight=10N

Area=1𝑚2
Area=2𝑚2

𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 10𝑁 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 10𝑁

Pressure= = 1𝑚2 = 10𝑃𝑎 Pressure= = 2𝑚2 = 5𝑃𝑎
𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
For a given Area, Pressure and Force are directly proportional

𝑃 (𝑃𝑎)

𝐹 (𝑁)

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
For a given Area, Pressure and Force are directly proportional

Weight=10N Weight=20N

Area=1𝑚2 Area=1𝑚2

𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 10𝑁 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 20𝑁

Pressure= = 1𝑚2 = 10𝑃𝑎 Pressure= = 1𝑚2 = 20𝑃𝑎
𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Now try to answer!

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Why does a sharp knife

cut better than a dull
knife?

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

The diagram at right shows a sharp knife and a dull knife in

contact with a surface (maybe a nice, juicy steak!).
Notice that the sharp knife has a very small area of contact
with the surface, while the dull knife has a much larger area
of contact.
If both knives are pushed down with the same force, the
sharp knife will exert a much greater pressure on the
surface than the dull knife - and pressure cuts.
So, if you are "stuck" with a dull knife, you have to exert
much more force in order to generate enough pressure to
cut your steak.

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Why do people have to

use ice skates?

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

The downward force that you exert on the

ice (assuming you are standing on two
feet) would be half of your weight.
Notice, however, that the shoe distributes
the force over a much larger area than the
skate does. This means that the skate
exerts a much higher pressure on the ice
than the shoe does - it is this high pressure
that makes ice skating possible!

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Why a karate chop is much

more effective than an
open-handed slap?

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Because a reduction of surface area increases net

pressure.
If one were to slap a board squarely with one's palm,
the only likely result would be a severe stinging pain
on the hand.
But if instead one delivered a blow to the board, with
the hand held perpendicular the board could be split
in two.
In the first instance, the area of force exertion is large
and the net pressure to the board relatively small,
whereas in the case of the karate chop, the surface
area is much smaller—and hence, the pressure is
much larger.
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 PRESSURE

Why snowshoes are much

more effective for walking
in snow ?

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Sometimes, a greater surface area is preferable.

Thus, snowshoes are much more effective for
walking in snow than ordinary shoes or boots.
Ordinary footwear is not much larger than the
surface of one's foot, perfectly appropriate for
walking on pavement or grass. But with deep
snow, this relatively small surface area increases
the pressure on the snow, and causes one's feet
to sink. The snowshoe, because it has a surface
area significantly larger than that of a regular
shoe, reduces the ratio of force to surface area
and therefore, lowers the net pressure

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

pushpin

hammer

syringe
nail
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 PRESSURE

Physics at home

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
What you need:
- 1 carton of milk (closed); a dish; some flour, a scale, a ruler
What to do:
1. weight the carton of milk
2. measure the three dimensions (a, b and c) of the carton
3. calculate the area of each side (axb, bxc and axc) of the carton
4. place the carton on a table and calculate the three different pressures
it exerts on the three different contact surfaces between the table and
the carton
5. Pour the flour into the dish and place carefully the carton over the
flour, firstly with the largest size in contact with the flour , then the
medium size and eventually the smallest size (before placing the
carton on the flour, flatten the surface of the flour)
What do you notice?
How can you explain?
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 PRESSURE

Pascal’s principle
Any change in the pressure applied to a
completely enclosed fluid is transmitted
undiminished to all parts of the fluid and the
enclosing walls

Blaise Pascal
(1623-1662)

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
Pascal’s principle
When the syringe is filled
with water, pushing the
plunger water comes out
from all nozzles with equal
speed perpendicularly to
the surface of the container

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

A Pascal’s principle application

THE HYDRAULIC PRESS

experiment

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

STEVIN’S LAW
The pressure at a point in a liquid
in static equilibrium depends only
on the depth at that point:
𝑷 = 𝑷𝟎 +dgh
Simon Stevin (1548 – 1620)
Where 𝑷𝟎 is the external pressure on the surface of the
liquid, h is the depth, g is the gravity acceleration and
d is the liquid density
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 PRESSURE

STEVIN’S LAW

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
STEVIN’S LAW APPLICATIONS
𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒔 (𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔)

Given a set of two or more connected containers containing a

homogeneous liquid, when the liquid settles, it balances out to the same
level in all of the containers regardless of the shape and the volume of the
containers

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
STEVIN’S LAW APPLICATIONS

𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍′ 𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒍 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

Watch the video

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 PRESSURE

Hydrostatic pressure inside the

water in a dam or a swimming pool
increases with depth according to
Pascal’s principle and Stevin’s law.

That is the reason of the trapezoidal shape of

walls in dams and swimming pools

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
STEVIN’S LAW APPLICATIONS
ℎ2 > ℎ1 → 𝑃2 > 𝑃1 → 𝑑2 > 𝑑1

ℎ2

ℎ1

𝑑1 𝑑2
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015
 ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gasses

surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's
gravity.
Three quarters of Earth atmosphere is within about 11 km
from the planet surface.
The atmosphere becomes thinner and thinner with
increasing altitude, with no definite boundary
Although its density is very small, it exerts a great force
over all the objects on the Earth surface

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted per

unit of area on the surface of the Earth by the
column of air extending vertically above it.

The average atmospheric

pressure at sea level is 1
standard atmosphere
(atm)=101.3 kPa

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

70cm
(at sea level)

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

h = 70cm (at sea level)

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

BUOYANCY
Buoyancy is an upward force exerted by a fluid that
opposes the weight of a partially or completely immersed
object.

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE

𝒃𝒖𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 = 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 ∙ 𝒈 ∙ 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅

𝑭𝑩 = 𝒅𝒇 ∙ 𝒈 ∙ 𝑽𝒇

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE
ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE
𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 > 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 → 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒕𝒔

𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 < 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 → 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒌s

𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒊𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 = 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 → 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 nor floats nor

sinks

Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015

 PRESSURE

For a fully submerged object, Archimedes'

principle can be reformulated as follows:
Immersed object’s apparent weight =
weight of the object – weight of the displaced
fluid
air ballon

submarine
aircraft carrier
Physics CLIL 1D a.s. 2014-2015