PRESSURE

Depends on Force and Area

Pressure
Describes how a
force is spread
over an area.
It is a measure of
how much force is
acting on a certain
area.

Pressure (cont.)
When a cat lies down on your lap, the force of
the cats weight is spread out over a large area
of your lap.
If the cat stands up, all of the force from the cats
weight is concentrated into its paws.

Increasing Pressure
You can increase pressure in two ways:
1.Increase the force

2.Decrease the area of the force

The Model
Pressure = Force / Area
P=F/A
Units: pascal (Pa)
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Pressure acts in all directions in fluids

Fluids are made of loosely connected particles
that are too small to see.
Their motion is random; they crash into one
another and into anything around.
As they collide with an object in
the fluid, they apply
constant pressure to the surfaces
of the object.

Pressure in Air (cont.)

Changing Elevation- As you go up, air pressure
decreases.
Changing Density- Air at lower elevations is
denser.
As you g
o up the
air
pressure
on you
decreas
es. Your
ea
dont ad
just to th rs
e
pressure
ch a n g e
ve
quickly.
You may ry
fe
pain or e
xperienc el
e
poppin
g until
your
eardrum
adjusts.

Pressure in Water
Water exerts more pressure on you than air
because it is denser.
As you go deeper, the pressure increases.
At 3300 ft. the pressure of the water would
collapse your lungs if you werent wearing
special deep sea diving equipment.

Summary
Pressure is a measure of how much force is
acting on a certain area.
You can increase pressure in two ways:
1. Increase the force
2. Decrease the area of the force
P=F/A
Pressure acts in all directions in fluids.
As elevation increases air pressure
decreases.
As depth in water decreases pressure
increases.