Physics 1402

Pressure

Objective:
We will refresh our knowledge of force, work, power, energy and introduce the concept of
pressure
Materials:

(1) Pasco Scientific 850 Universal Interface UI-5000

(1) Pasco Scientific Absolute Pressure Sensor PS-2107
(1) 20ml Syringe
(1) 0.6m section of tubing with Luer Lock tip

Background:
The first section of general physics (1401) covered the fundamentals of classical
kinematics and dynamics.
Sir Isaac Newton, an 18th century mathematician and scientist laid the foundation for
classical mechanics by formulating the laws of motion for an inertial reference frame as well as
the Law of universal gravitation.
Newtons 1 st Law of Motion- In a vacuum, an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon
by an outside force; likewise an object moving at constant velocity will remain at constant
velocity moving in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force

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Physics 1402
Newtons 2 nd Law of Motion- The sum of all forces (net force) acting upon an object is equal to
the mass of the object times the acceleration of the object. The net force is defined as the vector
sum of all the external forces exerted on the object.
Newtons 3 rd Law of Motion- If object 1 and object 2 interact, the force exerted by object 1 on
object 2 is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted by object 2 on object
1. For every action force acting on an object exist a reaction force with the same magnitude but
opposite in direction.

= = cos

(1)

Work is a scalar quantity and is the result of the dot product (or scalar product)
between vector force and vector displacement.
Here we see that displacement is a vector verses the scalar we are used to seeing. We
learned that work was nothing more than just a scalar that could easily result in a net zero.
In 1401 it was introduced the concept of power which is work per unit of time.

(2)

The introduction of energy provided a new approach to solving complex physics

problems. We now know there are many different forms of energy such as: Kinetic Energy,
Gravitational Potential Energy, and many more that we will be explored in this section of general
physics. Previously, we discovered that the conservation of energy is an important and vital
guiding concept. This law will be very helpful and widely used in the second part of general
physics.

Law of Conservation of Energy

Within some problem domain, the amount of energy remains
constant and energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy
can be converted from one form to another (potential energy

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Physics 1402
can be converted to kinetic energy and vice versa) but the total
energy within the domain remains fixed.
(Glen Research Center NASA)

Pressure is a term used that has multiple meanings. In science, we think of pressure as a
force being applied to an object on a particular or whole surface area.
Force always has both a magnitude and a direction, since it is a vector. Pressure is a
scalar quantity and is associated with the force that is perpendicular to the surface area being
applied.
Pressure is defined by the Oxford Press Dictionary of Physics as:
The force acting normally on a unit area of a surface or the ratio of the force to area. It is
measured in *pascals (Pa) in SI Units

1 = 1

(3)

2 = 1

(4)

We see pressure in everyday life, but most people do not understand what it means.
Every time we see the doctor, a nurse takes our blood pressure. A weather reporter will report a
change in atmospheric pressure. All modern cars have inflatable tires and must be filled with
air.
If you look on the floor of your lab room, you should see about 1 foot square tiles. Now
imagine the air on that tile alone reaching all the way to the outer atmosphere of our planet.
Every molecule that is in that column of air is pushing downward on the tile. Your body
experiences the same thing. While gravity exerts a force on your body, everything above your
head is also exerting a force upon you. This force over area is called atmospheric pressure. It is
defined as the force gravity exerts upon everything in one square meter.
The surface of the earth can be considered as being the bottom of an atmospheric sea.
The standard atmospheric pressure is measured in various units:
Atmosphere = mmHg = inHg = lb/in2 = kPa
The fundamental SI unit of pressure is the Pascal (Pa), but it is a small unit so kPa is the
most common direct pressure unit for atmospheric pressure. Since the static fluid pressure is

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Physics 1402
dependent only upon density and depth, choosing a liquid of standard density like mercury or
water allows you to express the pressure in units of height or depth, e.g., mmHg or inches of
water.
Another everyday occurrence of pressure is the pressure in the tires of your car. Tire
pressure is measured in pounds per square inch (Psi). When you read the tire gauge to check
your tires you are measuring the amount of force being applied to the entire inner surfaces is a
prime example that pressure is uniform through a static system.
When you visit the doctors office a medical person
will place an instrument on your upper arm. This instrument
is taking your blood pressure. This pressure will result in two
different numbers. The first number is the pressure exerted
against the walls of your arteries during the contraction of
your heart. Whereas the second number is the pressure exerted
against the walls of your arteries while your heart is at rest, or
in between beats. This is important as it is measured in
milligrams of mercury (mmHg).
The Rio Grande Valley is butted up against the Gulf of
Mexico. For six months out of the year the residents are
aware of natural atmospheric disturbances called tropical
storms and hurricanes. When a storm are being monitored by
meteorologists, weather forecasters will discuss the atmospheric pressure of the storm in either
inches of mercury (inHg) or as millibars (mb). One mbar or hectopascals represents 100 pascals.

1 = 100 ()

(5)

The relationship between the pressures to the strength of the storm should be obvious.
The lower the atmospheric pressure, the greater the
strength of the storm or the Current Intensity (CI).
The amount of energy being absorbed into the storm
by heat rising as the pressure decreases is allows the
storm to grow stronger and have a higher potential of
causing greater damage. Normal atmospheric
pressure is 29.92 inHg or 1013.25 hP. Douglas Butts, Jr.,
Science and Operations Officer, National Weather Service Brownsville, TX.

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Physics 1402

Robert Boyle (1627-1691) was a chemist and physicist. Boyles

work dealt with gases and the amount of pressure in a container as the
volume changes. Boyles experimental research resulted in the
discovery of a physical law which is still used today.
Oxford Dictionary of Physics states:
Boyles Law: the volume (V) of a given mass of gas at a
constant temperature is inversely proportional to its pressure (p), i.e
pV= constant. This is true only for an *ideal gas.

Form the definition we can see both the mathematical and physical relationships between
pressure and volume. This is simple to remember and important in everyday life as well.

(5)
(6)

In the experiment performed today we will investigate the relationship between pressure
and volume. We will also look at real world examples

Procedure:
1) Gather above equipment. You are responsible to place all the equipment back in the
same place as found and in the exact same condition in which you found it.
2) Remove the Pressure Senor and tubing from the bag.

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Physics 1402

3) Attach the pressure sensor to the tubing with the plastic fitting by sliding the connector
from the tubing onto the connector of the pressure sensor then rotation to the right until
you hear a click
DO NOT FORCE THE CONNECTORS!! You are responsible if they break.
4) Slide the pressure sensor into PasPort 1 port on the 850 interface.
5) Open the file located on your computer desk top labeled Capstone
6) Open the folder General Physics 1402
7) Open the file labeled Pressure
Column 1 in the table on the left side of the screen displays the locations on the syringe at
which you will take a measurement. The second column are your results.
8) Pull the plunger (white portion) of the syringe out until the top of the black plunger is
equal with the line indicating 20ml.
9) Attach open end of the tube to the tip of the syringe without moving the plunger.
One student will operate the syringe while the other student will record

10) Click the

located in the lower left hand portion of the screen

This is NOT a timed experiment, so take your time to get the readings.
11) Depress the syringe to the mark indicated in the left column of the table.
12) Click the
button located in the lower left hand corner to record the data at the
given location.
13) Repeat steps 11 and 12 for all indicated values in the column.

14) Click the

button.

The graph should automatically display the data.

15) Print all 5 tabs. And close capstone after printing.

Part II
1) Open the folder General Physics 1402
2) Open the capstone Pressure 2 file.

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Physics 1402

3) Remove the pressure sensor to the tubing with the plastic fitting by sliding the
connector from the tubing onto the connector of the pressure sensor then rotation to
the right until you hear a click.
4) Depress the plunger (white portion) of the syringe in until the top of the black plunger
is equal with the line indicating 0ml.
5) Attach open end of the tube to the tip of the syringe without moving the plunger.
One student will operate the syringe while the other student will record Column 1 in the
table on the left side of the screen are the locations on the syringe at which you will take a
measurement. The second column are your results.

6) Click the

located in the lower left hand portion of the screen

This is NOT a timed experiment, so take your time to get the readings.
7) Pull the syringe to the mark indicated in the left column of the table.
8) Click the
button located in the lower left hand corner to record the data at
the given location.
9) Repeat steps 7 and 8 for all indicated values in the column.

10) Click the

button.
The graph should automatically display the data.

11) Print all 5 tabs. And close capstone after printing.

Questions:

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Physics 1402
1) Use the internet to find the normal pressures for each unit of measure in the lab (axis
title). Compare the numbers you found on the internet versus the numbers you obtained
as your first value in each pressure.

2) Using the mbar data only, figure out how much volume displacement is required to
produce the following storms.
Hurricane Category based in mbar
Cat 1 Hurricane
980994
Cat 2 Hurricane
965979
Cat 3 Hurricane
945964
Cat 4 Hurricane
920944
Cat 5 Hurricane
< 920

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