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Pressure
Pressure is the force acting per unit area at right
angles to a surface.
The area under the edge of the The end of the pin is very sharp, it
knife’s blade is small. Beneath it, provide great pressure to the
the pressure is high enough for the objects and so easy to put into
blade to push easily through the objects
material
Reducing pressure by increasing the area
Skis have a large area to reduce Tractors have wide tyre to reduce
the pressure on the snow so that the pressure act on the ground so
they do not sink in too far that they do not sink too far of the
ground
Pressure in liquids
In a liquid such as water, pressure does not simply act
down wards – it equally in all directions. This is
because the molecules of the liquid move around in all
directions, causing pressure on every surface they
collide with.
Factors affecting the pressure in a liquid
The pressure in a liquid depends on
Depth of the liquid
The deeper the liquid, the higher pressure
Density of the liquid
The more dense the liquid, the higher pressure at
particular depth
Pressure of the liquid doesn’t depend shape of the container.
Calculating the Pressure in a Liquid
The pressure on the liquid can be calculated by using
the following equation:
Pressure on the liquid = density of the liquid ×
gravitational field × depth of the liquid
P = ρgh
Example question:
A rectangular storage tank is filled with paraffin to a depth of
0.8m. The density of the paraffin is 800kg/cm3. Calculate the
pressure at the bottom of the tank.
Ans: P = ρgh
P = 800 × 10 × 0.8
= 6400 Pa
Hydraulic System
If you plot the graph pressure of the gas against the volume of
the gas you will obtain a smooth curve as shown below.
The following equation is derived from this law:
Initial pressure × initial volume = final pressure × final
volume (P1V1 = P2 V2)
Example question:
The syringe shown below consist the volume of 100cm3 of
gas initially and the pressure of the gas is 1.0 × 105 Pa. The
volume of the gas decreases to 80 cm3. Calculate the final
pressure of the gas.
Ans: P1V1 = P2 V2
1.0 × 105 × 100 = P2 × 80
P2 = 1.0 × 105 × 100 / 80
P2 = 125000 Pa