FORCE AND PRESSURE
Short/Long Answer Questions
Question 1
Define force. State its S.I. unit.
Answer
Force is that cause which changes the state of the body (either the state of rest or the state of motion) or changes the size
or shape of the body. The S.I. unit of force is newton (N).
Question 2
State two effects of a force when applied on a body.
Answer
The two effects of a force when applied on a body are —
(i) It can change the shape or size of a body.
(ii) It can stop a moving body or it can move a stationary body.
Question 3
How does the effect of a force differ when it is applied on
(a) a rigid body
(b) a non-rigid body?
Answer
(a) When a force is applied on a rigid body, it produces only change in motion of the body. The force does not cause any
change in the inter-spacing between its constituent particles.
(b) When a force is applied on a non-rigid body, it causes both change in its size or shape and motion in it.
Question 4
State the effect of force F in each of the following diagrams (a) and (b).
Answer
(i) In figure (a), when a force F is applied on the ball, the ball starts moving
in a straight line in the direction of force F and continues to move in that
direction. This is called linear motion.
(ii) In figure (b), when a force F is applied on the wheel pivoted at a
point, the force turns the wheel in anticlockwise direction about the
axis of rotation producing turning motion.
Question 5
Define the term moment of force.
Answer
The moment of force is equal to the product of the magnitude of the force and the perpendicular distance of the force
from the pivoted point.
Question 6
State the S.I. unit of moment of force.
Answer
The S.I. unit of moment of force is newton x metre (N m).
Question 7
State two factors which affect moment of force.
Answer
The two factors which affect moment of force are —
(i) Magnitude of force.
(ii) Perpendicular distance of force from the pivoted point.
Question 8
In figure beside, a force F is applied in a direction passing through the pivoted
point O of the body. Will the body rotate? Give reason to support your
answer.
Answer
No, the body will not rotate because
Turning effect = Force x perpendicular distance of the force from the pivoted point.
= F x 0 = 0.
Perpendicular distance is 0 or force is parallel to the point of application of force, hence the body will not rotate.
Question 9
Write the expression for the moment of force about a given axis of rotation.
Answer
The expression for the moment of force about a given axis of rotation is —
Moment of force about a given axis = Force x perpendicular distance of force from the axis of rotation.
Question 10
State one way to decrease the moment of a given force about a given axis of rotation.
Answer
The moment of given force about a given axis of rotation is decreased by either decreasing the force or by decreasing the
perpendicular distance of force from the axis of rotation.
Question 11
State one way to obtain greater moment of a given force about a given axis of rotation.
Answer
One way to obtain greater moment of a given force is to increase the distance from the axis of rotation where the force
would act.
Question 12
What do you mean by the clockwise and anti-clockwise moment of force?
Answer
If the effect on the body is to turn it clockwise, the moment of force is called clockwise moment. If the effect on the body
is to turn it anti-clockwise, the moment of force is called anti-clockwise moment.
Question 13(a)
Explain the following:
The spanner (or wrench) has a long handle.
Answer
A spanner has a long handle to produce a large turning effect by applying a small
amount of force at the end of the handle as shown in the figure below:
Question 13(b)
Explain the following:
The steering wheel of a vehicle is of large diameter.
Answer
It is easier to turn the steering wheel of large diameter as larger the diameter, larger is the perpendicular distance from
the axis of rotation so less force is applied to generate same amount of turning effect as compared to steering wheel of
small diameter.
Question 13(c)
Explain the following:
The hand flour grinder is provided with a handle near the rim.
Answer
The hand flour grinder is provided with a handle near the rim which is at a maximum distance from the axis of rotation so
that it can easily be rotated at its centre by applying a small force at the handle.
Question 13(d)
Explain the following:
It is easier to open the door by pushing it at its free end.
Answer
It is easier to open the door by pushing it at its free end because larger the perpendicular distance from the axis of
rotation, less is the force required to open it.
Question 13(e)
Explain the following:
A potter turns his wheel by applying a force through the stick near the rim of wheel.
Answer
A potter's wheel is pivoted at the centre. When the potter applies a force through the stick near the rim of the wheel, the
point of application of force is at a maximum distance from the axis of rotation, hence less force is required to rotate the
wheel.
Question 14
What is thrust?
Answer
If a force is applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular to the surface, the force is called thrust. In other words,
thrust is the force acting normally on the surface.
Question 15
State the unit of thrust.
Answer
The units of thrust are kilogram force(kgf), gram force(gf) and newton(N) (same as that of weight or force).
Question 16
On what factors does the effect of thrust on a surface depend?
Answer
The effect of thrust depends on the area of the surface on which it acts. Smaller the area of the surface on which a thrust
acts larger is its effect and effect of thrust is less on a larger surface area.
Question 17
Define the term pressure and state its unit.
Answer
Pressure is defined as the thrust acting per unit area.
Pressure = Thrust/Area
Its unit is pascal (Pa) or Newton/metre2 (N m-2).
Question 18
How is thrust related to pressure?
Answer
Pressure is thrust acting per unit area. Thrust is directly proportional to pressure. Greater the thrust, greater is the
pressure and smaller the thrust, smaller is the pressure.
Pressure = Thrust/Area
Question 19
Name two factors on which the pressure on a surface depends.
Answer
The two factors on which the pressure on a surface depends are:
1. Area of the surface on which thrust acts.
2. Magnitude of thrust acting on the surface.
Question 20
When does a man exert more pressure on the floor: while standing or while walking?
Answer
A man exerts more pressure on the surface while walking than standing because while walking one foot is in contact with
the floor so surface area is less but while standing both foot are in contact with the floor providing a large surface area.
Since pressure is inversely proportional to surface area so pressure exerted while walking is more as compared to pressure
exerted on standing.
Question 21
Why do camels or elephants have broad feet?
Answer
The broad feet of camels and elephants increases the surface of the feet in contact with the ground. This reduces the
pressure exerted on the ground as pressure is inversely proportional to surface area.
Thus, this helps camels to walk easily on the desert sand without their feet sinking in it. The large body weight of
elephants is supported by their broad feet helping them to move around comfortably.
Question 22
A sharp pin works better than a blunt pin. Explain the reason.
Answer
A sharp pin has less surface area as compared to a blunt pin, so for a given applied force sharp pin exerts more pressure
than blunt pin and penetrates a surface like wood or wall easily. So, it works better than a blunt pin.
Question 23
Why is the bottom part of the foundation of a building made wider?
Answer
The bottom part of the foundation of a building is made wider so that the weight of the building will act on larger surface
area exerting less pressure on the ground (as pressure is inversely proportional to surface area). This avoids sinking of
buildings into the earth.
Question 24
It is easier to cut with a sharp knife than with a blunt one. Explain.
Answer
A sharp knife has sharp edges that provides less surface area of contact as compared to a blunt knife which has more
surface area of contact. So pressure applied by the force is more in sharp knife which makes it easier to cut than a blunt
one.
Question 25
A gum bottle rests on its base. If it is placed upside down,
(i) How does the thrust change?
(ii) How does the pressure change?
Answer
(i) A gum bottle has broader base and narrower neck and when it is placed upside down there will be no change in thrust
as thrust is the weight of the body that is exerted on the surface.
(ii) When gum bottle is placed upside down, surface area is less so pressure will be more as pressure is inversely
proportional to surface area.
Question 26
Explain the following:
(i) Sleepers are used below the rails.
(ii) A tall building has wide foundations.
Answer
(i) Wide wooden sleepers are placed below the railway tracks to increase the surface area of the tracks in contact with the
ground. This reduces the pressure exerted by the rails on the ground.
(ii) The foundation of a tall building is made wider because the weight of the building will act on larger surface area
exerting less pressure on the ground (as pressure is inversely proportional to surface area). This avoids sinking of building
into the earth.
Question 27
Write the conclusion of the following experiment:
Answer
Balloon bulges out because water column exerts pressure at its bottom. The force on the balloon is equal to the weight of
the water column known as thrust.
So, Pressure = Thrust/Area = W/A, where W is weight of the water column (thrust) and A is surface area.
Question 28
Describe a suitable experiment to demonstrate that a liquid exerts pressure sideways also.
Answer
Observations — After sometime we will notice that the balloon bulges out as shown in figure (b) above.
Conclusion — From the above experiment it is concluded that a liquid exerts pressure sideways also.
Question 29
Write the conclusion of the following experiment:
Answer
Water comes out through each hole which shows that liquid exerts same pressure in all directions.
Question 30
State two factors on which the pressure at a point in a liquid depends.
Answer
The two factors on which the pressure at a point in a liquid depends are:
1. The height of the liquid column — Liquid pressure increases with the height of the liquid column above the point.
2. The density of the liquid — Liquid pressure increases with the increase in the density of the liquid.
Question 31
Write the conclusion of the following experiment:
Answer
Conclusion — From the above experiment it is concluded that when the height of the water column increases, more
pressure is exerted on the balloon and it bulges out more. This shows that the liquid pressure at a point increases with the
increase in height of the liquid column above that point.
Question 32
Which fact about liquid pressure does the diagram in figure below illustrate?
Answer
The diagram demonstrates that liquid pressure at a point increases with the height of the liquid column above it as water
flowing out from upper hole falls near the cylinder while water from lower hole falls far from the cylinder.
Question 33
Write the observation and conclusion of the following experiment:
Answer
Observation — It is noticed that the balloon attached to tube B bulges out more as compared to balloon attached to tube
A as shown in the above figure.
Conclusion — Density of sugar solution is more than water so it exerts more pressure which shows that liquid pressure
depends on the density of liquid.
Question 34
A dam has broader walls at the bottom than at the top. Give a reason.
Answer
The pressure at a point due to a liquid increases with the increase in height of the liquid column above it, so to withstand
the increasing pressure of water a dam has broader walls at the bottom than at the top.
In the figure given below, the increasing length of arrows in water represents the increasing pressure on the wall of the
dam towards the bottom.
Question 35
What do you mean by atmospheric pressure?
Answer
The thrust on unit area of the earth surface due to the column of air is called the atmospheric pressure.
Question 36
Write the numerical value of the atmospheric pressure on the earth surface in pascal.
Answer
The atmospheric pressure on the earth surface in pascal is 1.013 x 105 Pa.
Question 37
We do not feel uneasy even under the enormous atmospheric pressure. Give a reason.
Answer
The blood in the veins of our body exerts a pressure which is slightly more than the atmospheric pressure which makes
the effect of atmospheric pressure ineffective. So we do not feel uneasy even under the enormous atmospheric pressure.
Question 38
Write the conclusion of the following experiment:
Answer
Conclusion — It is observed that post card does not fall from the glass because the atmospheric pressure is acting
upwards on the post card from outside the glass which overcomes the pressure on post card due to water in the glass.
Question 39
Write the conclusion of the following experiment:
Answer
It is observed that the can collapses. The reason is that when steam comes out it takes away most of the air from the can.
When cold water is poured on the can, steam condenses into water leaving a partial vacuum in the can. The air pressure
outside is more than inside which exerts force on the can causing it to collapse. From this experiment it is concluded that
air exerts pressure.
Question 40(a)
Give reasons for the following:
A balloon collapses when air is removed from it.
Answer
When air is removed from the balloon, the pressure inside it becomes much less than the outside atmospheric pressure
and hence the balloon collapses.
Question 40(b)
Give reasons for the following:
Water does not run out of a dropper unless its rubber bulb is pressed.
Answer
There are two forces acting on the water inside the dropper one is liquid pressure from inside and atmospheric pressure
from outside. Atmospheric pressure acting from outside balances the liquid pressure from inside so water does not come
out from the dropper. When bulb is pressed the liquid pressure increases than atmospheric pressure and water comes out
from the dropper.
Question 40(c)
Give reasons for the following:
Two holes are made in a sealed oil tin to take out oil from it.
Answer
Two holes are made in a sealed oil tin to take out oil from it because through one hole atmospheric pressure acts due to
air entering through it and through another hole the oil comes out easily.
Question 41
How does the atmospheric pressure change with altitude?
Answer
The atmospheric pressure decreases with increase in altitude. So, as we go higher the atmospheric pressure decreases.
