FORM 4 CHAPTER 3 FORCE AND PRESSURE

Pressure : Force acting perpendicularly per unit area

Example 1

As shown in the diagram above, a 20N force acts on a 4cm surface. The force is shared equally by
the surface, hence each 1 cm of the surface withstand a force of 5N (20N/4).

The force (5N) acts on 1 unit area (1cm) is said to be the pressure acting on the surface. Therefore,
the pressure acting on the surface is 5N/cm.

Unit of Pressure
The SI unit of pressure is Pascal (Pa). 1 Pa is equal to1 newton per metre2 (N/m).

Factors Affecting the Magnitude of Pressure

- Magnitude of the force : The larger the force, the higher the pressure.
- Contact area : The larger the contact area, the lower the pressure.
Example 2
A force,F is acting on a surface of area 20cm, produces a pressure 2500Pa on the surface. Find the
magnitude of the force.

Example 3
A block of wood 3 m long, 5 m wide and 1 m thick is placed on a table. If the density of the wood is
900 kgm-3, find
a) the lowest pressure
b) the highest pressure
c) on the table due to the block.

Example 4
Two cubes made of the same material; one has sides twice as the other, lying on a table. Standing on
one face, the small cube exerts a pressure M on the table. What is the pressure (in term of M)
exerted by the larger cube standing on one of its faces, on the table?
Applications of High Pressure

Applications of Low Pressure

Pressure in Liquid
- Pressure in liquid is owing to the weight of the liquid acting on the surface of any objects in
the liquid.
- Pressure of a liquid is directly proportional to
a) the gravitational field strength
b) the depth
c) density of the liquid.
- Pressure in liquids is not affected by the size or shape of the object.
Example 4

The diagram shows 2 fishes in water. The density of

the water is 1025 kg/m. The surface area of fish A
is 300 cm and the surface area of fish B is 2000cm.
Find
a. the pressure exerted by the water on fish A.
b. the pressure exerted by the water on fish B.
c. the force exerted by the water on fish A.
d. the force exerted by the water on fish B.

Example5

Figure above shows the cross section of a

sea near a seaside. Find the difference of
the pressure between point A and point
B. [Density of seawater = 1050kg/m]
Example 6
Find the pressure at a depth of 20 m in water when the atmospheric pressure is 100000 Pa. The
density of water is 1000 kg/m.

Pressure in Liquid - The U-Tube

- Usually, a U-tube is used to compare and measure density of liquids.

- The density of the 2 liquids is related by the equation
h11=h22

Example 7
Figure shows a U-tube filled with water and liquid P.
Liquid P is insoluble in water. Given that the
density of water is 1000kg/m, find the density of
liquid P.
Example 8
The diagram shows a U-tube filled with two types of
liquid, X and Y which are not mixable. If the density of
liquid X and liquid Y are 1200 kg/m and 800 kg/m
respectively, find the value of h.

Characteristics Of Liquid Pressure

- Pressure in liquid does not depends o
a) the shape of the container.

b) the size of the container.

 c) the area of its surface.

Pressure increases with depth

- The deeper the liquid, the faster the liquid spurts out.
- In conclusion, the pressure in a liquid increases with depth.

Pressure depends on the vertical depth, but not the length of liquid column.

Pressure at A = Pressure at B
All points at the same level in a liquid are at the same pressure

- The level of the surface of a liquid in a container is always the same because for a given
liquid, the pressure is always equal at the same level.

Pressure does not depend on the surface area of the object.

Pressure exerted on the small fish = Pressure exerted on the big fish

Pressure acts in all direction

- The pressure at any point of a liquid acts equally in all direction.

Applications Of Pressure In Liquid
- Dam

- Submarine

- Measuring Blood Pressure

- Intravenous Transfusion

- For intravenous transfusion (IV), the bottle is hung at an elevated position to ensure that the
liquid in the IV bottle gains sufficient pressure to flow into the vein of the patient.

- Water Tower

- The water tower is built at high place so that the water has sufficient pressure to flow to
consumers house.