PRESSURE

PRESSURE
Pressure on a surface
• When a force is exerted over an area- Pressure
• Pressure is measured in N/m2 or N/cm2
• Pressure is the concentration of a force:
• If a force is spread over a large area it will result in a small pressure
• If it is spread over a small area it will result in a large pressure

• An object resting on a surface exerts pressure on the surface because of the
object’s weight.
• Weight is the force produced by gravity acting on a solid, liquid or a gas, pulling
the object downwards towards the centre of the Earth.
• The cube pushes down on the surface with a force equal to its weight. The
pressure that the cube exerts on the surface:
• Pressure= force( weight)/ area of cube
• Example: If a cube having weight of 500N and its area is 2m2. What is the pressure it
exerts on the ground?
• An object exerts a pressure on the ground according to the area of its surface that is in contact with the ground. Example a
block having dimensions 1m x 1m x 2m and a weight of 200N will exert a pressure of :
a) 200/1= 200 N/m2 b) 200/2= 100 N/m2
• Your weight acting downwards causes you to exert a force on the ground through the soles of your shoes. If you lie down this force
acts over all the areas of your body in contact with the ground. These areas together are larger than the areas of the soles of your
shoes. In what position is the pressure more?
Pink Box Questions
1. What is the pressure exerted on the ground by a cube which has a weight of 600N and a side area of:
a) 1m2
b) 3 m2
2. What is the pressure exerted on the ground by an object that has a weight of 50N and a surface area in contact with the
ground of:
c) 1 cm2
d) 10 cm2
e) 25 cm2
Pink Box Questions
3. a) What pressure does a block of weight 600 N and dimensions 1m x 1m x 3m
exert when it is:
i) Laid on its side
ii) stood on one end?
b) Why does it exert different pressure in different positions?

Reducing the pressure
• When people wear skis, the force due to their weight acts over a much larger area than the soles of a pair of shoes
• This reduces the pressure on the soft surface of the snow and allows the skier to slide over it without sinking
Pink Box Questions
4. Drivers in Iceland, when going out on the snow, let their

tyres down until they are very soft. The tyres spread out over
the surface of the snow as they drive along. Why do you think
the drivers do this?
Increasing the Pressure
1) Studs
• Sports boots for soccer and hockey have studs on their soles
• Reduce the area of contact between your feet and the ground
• The force acts over a smaller area and the pressure is increased many times
• The feet sink into the turf and grip the surface more firmly making it easier to
run about without slipping
2) Pins and Spikes
• When you push a drawing pin into a board, the force of your thumb is spread over the head of the pin so the low
pressure does not hurt you
• The same force acts on a tiny area of the pin point forcing the pin into the board
3) Knives
• High pressure is made by having a large force acting over a small area
• The edge of a sharp knife blade has a very small area but the edge of
a blunt knife blade is larger
• The sharp blade exerts a greater pressure on the material it is cutting

than a blunt knife
Pink Box Questions
5. A girl wearing trainers does not sink into the lawn as she
walks across it but later when she is wearing high-heeled
shoes she sinks into the turf. Why does this happen?
Particles and Pressure
• Matter is made from particles
• In solids, the particles are held in position
• In liquids, the particles are free to move around each other Draw figure 14.7 on page 180
on your notebooks
• In gases, the particles are free to move away from each other
Pressure in liquids
• In a solid object, the pressure of the particles acts through the area in contact with the ground
• In a liquid, the pressure of the particles acts not only on the bottom of the container but on the sides too
Pressure and depth of a liquid
• The change in pressure with depth in a liquid can be demonstrated by setting up a can as shown
in the figure:
• When the clips are removed from the three rubber tubes, water flows out
• All three jets of water leave the can horizontally but the force of gravity pulls them down
• The water under the greatest pressure travels the furthest horizontally before it is pulled
down
• The water under the least pressure travels the shortest distance horizontally before it is pulled
down
Pink Box Questions
6. How does the path of the jet of water at the bottom of the
can in Figure 14.9 change as the water level in the can falls?
Why does it change?
Pink Box Questions
7. Why does a dam need a wall shaped like that in Figure

14.10?
Hydraulic Equipment
• In hydraulic equipment a liquid is used to transmit pressure from one place to another
• The pressure is applied in one place and released in another
• If the area where the pressure is applied is smaller than the area where the pressure is released, the
strength of the force is increased
Draw figure 14.11 on page

182 on your notebooks
Hydraulic Equipment
• A car may be raised with a small force by using a hydraulic
jack
• When a small force is applied to a small area of the liquid in

the jack, a larger force is released across a larger area and
acts to raise the car
• The brake system on a car is a hydraulic mechanism. The small

force exerted by the driver’s foot on the brake pedal is
converted into a large force acting at the brake pads. This
results in a large frictional force that makes it harder for the
wheels to turn and stop the car
Pink Box Questions
8. Why are hydraulic systems known as ‘force

multipliers’?
Pressure in gases
Ear Popping
• The middle part of the ear is filled with air at the
same pressure as the air outside the body
• If you travel in a car on a steep hill, the ears “pop”
because when we are rising rapidly the atmospheric
pressure lowers
• The pressure of air is lower in the throat as well as
outside the body than in the middle ear
• The difference in the air pressure causes the
eardrum to push outwards
• When we swallow, the air pressure in the middle ear
reaches the same pressure as the air in the throat as
well as outside and the eardrum moves back into place Draw figure 14.14 on page
or pops into place
Ear Popping
Pink Box Questions
9. What happens if the air pressure in the throat and outside

the body is less than the air pressure in your middle ear
when you swallow?
10. If you ride quickly down a hill on a bicycle your eardrums

are pushed in before they pop back. Why is this?
How a sucker sticks
• When an arrow with a sucker on the end hits a target the arrow
stays in place due to air pressure
• As the elastic sucker hits the flat surface it deforms and pushes
out some of the air from beneath the cup
• The pressure of the remaining air in the cup is less than that
of the air pressure outside the cup
• The higher pressure of the air outside the cup holds the sucker
in place

Crushing a can- Part 1
1) Using steam
• The can has a small quantity of water poured

into it and is heated from below
• As the water turns into steam it rises and pushes
the air out of the top of the can
• If the heat source is removed and the top of the
can is immediately closed, only a small quantity
of the air is left inside the can
• This air has a much lower pressure than the air
outside the can and the higher pressure crushes
the can
Crushing a can- Part 2
2) Using a vacuum pump
• A vacuum pump can reduce the pressure in

containers as it removes air from the can
• The can collapses due to greater pressure of

the air on the outside
Aerosols
• An aerosol spray contains a gas that is at a higher pressure than air pressure
• It is held in the can by a valve in the nozzle
• When the nozzle is pressed, the valve is opened
• The higher pressure of the gas in the can pushes the liquid out of the can
forming a spray of liquid droplets (aerosol)

Pink Box Questions
11. How many uses of aerosol cans in the

home can you think of?
Hovercraft
• A hovercraft uses the pressure of air to raise it from the ground
• It draws air from above with the help of powerful fans

increasing the pressure of air beneath the hovercraft
• The upward pressure of air trapped beneath lifts the

hovercraft off the ground
• The cushion of air beneath the craft reduces friction with the
ground

Pink Box Questions
12. What are the advantages of using a

hovercraft as a means of transport?

PRESSURE

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PRESSURE

• Pressure is measured in N/m2 or N/cm2

• Pressure is the concentration of a force:

• If a force is spread over a large area it will result in a small pressure

• If it is spread over a small area it will result in a large pressure

• Pressure= force( weight)/ area of cube

a) 200/1= 200 N/m2 b) 200/2= 100 N/m2

i) Laid on its side

ii) stood on one end?

b) Why does it exert different pressure in different positions?

4. Drivers in Iceland, when going out on the snow, let their

• The sharp blade exerts a greater pressure on the material it is cutting

• In solids, the particles are held in position

7. Why does a dam need a wall shaped like that in Figure

Draw figure 14.11 on page

• When a small force is applied to a small area of the liquid in

• The brake system on a car is a hydraulic mechanism. The small

8. Why are hydraulic systems known as ‘force

9. What happens if the air pressure in the throat and outside

10. If you ride quickly down a hill on a bicycle your eardrums

Draw figure 14.15 on page

• The can has a small quantity of water poured

• A vacuum pump can reduce the pressure in

• The can collapses due to greater pressure of

• It is held in the can by a valve in the nozzle

• When the nozzle is pressed, the valve is opened

Draw figure 14.17 on page

11. How many uses of aerosol cans in the

• It draws air from above with the help of powerful fans

• The upward pressure of air trapped beneath lifts the

Draw figure 14.18 on page

12. What are the advantages of using a

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