PRESSURE

Pressure is the perpendicular force acting per unit area on a body.

Pressure =
P= =
1 Pa = 1 Nm-2
The SI unit of pressure is the Pascal (Pa) and this is equal to 1 Nm-2.

Pressure in liquids
Pressure in a liquid increases with depth

Pressure is directly proportional to force when area is constant, i.e. P  F when A is constant.
In the can, the area is constant so the pressure would depend on the force acting on the body. At A,
there is a small force so the pressure will also be small, therefore the water will not spurt out very
far or fast. At B, the force is greater so the pressure will also be greater and the water spurts out a
little further and faster. At C, the force is the greatest, therefore the pressure will also be the greatest
and the water will spurt out the furthest and the fastest. As the depth of the liquid increases so does
the weight of the liquid above. Therefore the force will be greater and hence the pressure also.
Note the following:
1. Pressure is directly proportional to force when area is constant: P  F when A = constant. If
pressure increases, force increases and if pressure decreases, force decreases.
2. Pressure is inversely proportional to area when force is constant: P  when F = constant. If
pressure increases, area decreases and if pressure decreases, area increases.

Pressure at one depth acts equally in all directions

In the figure above, the can of water has similar holes around it, each at the same level. Water
comes out of each hole at the same speed and spurts to the same distance from each hole. Therefore,
the pressure exerted by the water at this depth is the same in all directions.
 A liquid finds its own level

P Q

Fig. (a) Fig. (b)

In fig. (a), the liquid pressure at the foot of the U-tube at Q is greater than that at P because the
water level is higher. When the clip is opened the liquid flows from P to Q until the pressure and the
levels are the same, i.e. the liquid finds its own level. In fig. (b), the liquid is at the same level in
each tube. This proves that the pressure at the foot of a liquid column depends only on the vertical
depth of the liquid and not the width or shape of the tube. Pressure only changes with depth. The
shape of the container is irrelevant.

Pressure depends on the density of the liquid

The denser the liquid, the greater the pressure at any given depth. An expression for liquid pressure
P at a depth h in a liquid of density  can be found by considering a horizontal area A.

The force acting vertically downwards on A equals the weight of the liquid column of height h and
cross-sectional area A above it.

Volume of liquid column = hA

Mass = volume x density

Mass of liquid column = hA

Weight of liquid column = hAg

Force on area A = hAg

Pressure = =

P = hg
Atmospheric pressure

Atmospheric pressure can be defined as the force exerted by the atmosphere per unit area on an
object. Its value is a constant which is 1.01 x 105 Pa = 1 atm.

Air Pressure Demonstartions

(a) Collapsing can – The air pressure inside the can is equal to the atmospheric pressure outside
the can, so that the can remains firm and keeps its shape. If the air is removed from the can
by a vacuum pump, the can collapses because the pressure inside the can is now less than
the atmospheric pressure outside the can.
(b) Drinking straw – When your mouth sucks on the end of the straw, you pull up all the air
from the straw into your mouth. Atmospheric pressure acts on the surface of the liquid in the
glass. This pressure is now greater than the pressure of the air in the straw. Atmospheric
pressure pushes down on the liquid and so forces it into the straw to your mouth.
(c) Rubber sucker – If the sucker is placed on a smooth flat surface, there is an air space in the
middle. When the sucker is moistened and pressed to the surface, the air is forced out by the
liquid molecules. A partial vacuum has now been created and atmospheric pressure acting
on the rubber sucker holds firmly in place.

Pressure Gauges

These measure the pressure exerted by a fluid i.e. by a liquid or a gas.

(a) Bourdon Gauge – In a Bourdon Gauge, when a fluid pressure is applied, the curved metal
tube tries to straighten out and rotates a pointer over a scale. Car oil pressure gauges and the
gauges on gas cylinders are of this type.

(b) U-tube manometer

A B

(a) (b)

In (a), atmospheric pressure acts on the surface of the liquid in both sides of the tube equally and so
the levels are the same. At (b) one side is connected to a gas supply. The gas exerts a pressure on
surface A and surface B rises as a result until:

Pressure of gas = Atmospheric pressure + Pressure due to liquid column BC

The pressure of the liquid column BC therefore equals the amount by which gas pressure exceeds
atmospheric pressure. It will be equal to hg (in Pa) where h is the vertical height of BC (in m) and
 is the density of the liquid (in kgm-3). The height h is called the head of the liquid and sometimes
instead of stating a pressure in Pa, we say that it is so many cm of water (or mercury for higher
pressures). The length of the open side of the manometer tube must be long for high pressures. For
very high pressures, a denser liquid, e.g. mercury, is used.

(c) Mercury barometer – A barometer is a manometer which measures atmospheric pressure. A

simple barometer can be made using a small funnel to nearly fill with mercury a thick-
walled glass tube about 1m long. If the tube is slowly inverted several times with a gloved
finger over the open end, the large air bubble runs up and down collecting any small air
bubbles trapped in the mercury. The tube is then filled with mercury, closed with the finger
and inverted into a bowl of mercury. When the finger is removed, the mercury falls to a
certain height above the level in the bowl. The pressure at the mouth of the inverted tube due
to the weight of the inverted column of mercury in the tube measures the atmospheric
pressure in mm of mercury (mmHg). The vertical height of the column is unchanged if the
tube is tilted. The space above the mercury in the tube is a vacuum (except for a little
mercury vapour).

Floating & Sinking

A ship floats because it gets support from the water. Any object in a liquid, whether floating or
submerged, is acted upon by an upward force or upthrust. This makes it seem to weigh less than
normal.

Archimedes’ Principle
Archimedes’ principle states that when a body is wholly or partially submerged in a fluid, the
upthrust is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.

Floating

When a stone is held below the surface of water, it sinks when it is released, while a cork rises
when the same is done. This is because the weight of the stone is greater than the upthrust on it
(i.e. the weight of the water displaced) and there is a net or resultant downward force on it. If the
cork had the same volume as the stone, it would have displaced the same weight (and volume)
of water. The upthrust on the cork is therefore the same as for the stone but it is greater than the
weight of the cork, so the resultant upward force on the cork makes it rise.

When a body floats in water the upthrust equals the weight of the body, and the net force on the
body is zero. This is an example of the principle of floatation which states that a floating body
displaces its own weight of fluid. For example, a block of wood of weight 10 N displaces an
amount of water (or any other liquid in which it floats) having weight 10 N (i.e. mass 1 kg).