CHAPTER 8 - PRESSURE

8.1

Pressure is a measure of how much force is applied over a certain area. You
can calculate pressure using this equation:
Pressure = Force/Area
Force is measured in newtons (N) and area is measured in metres squared
(m2 ), so pressure is measured in newtons per metre squared (N/m2 ). 1
N/m2 is also called 1 pascal (Pa).

A small force over a big area produces a small pressure. A big force over a
small area produces a big pressure.

You can calculate force using this equation: Pressure x Area

You can calculate area using this equation: Force/Pressure

8.2

Increasing the area reduces the pressure, which can be useful in some
situations. Reducing the area can be useful if you need a large pressure. If
force increases so does pressure and if force decreases so does pressure.

8.3

There is pressure in a liquid because of the forces between particles in the

liquid acting over an area. As you go deeper the pressure gets bigger because
there is more weight of water above you. The particles in a liquid are very
close together so liquids cannot be compressed. We say that they are
incompressible. It is liquid pressure that produces upthrust, the force that
keeps things afloat.

Bubbles of nitrogen in a diver’s blood are very dangerous and can cause great
pain. The condition is called ‘the bends’.

You can measure liquid pressure with a pressure gauge.

8.4
Hydraulic machines use liquids, which are incompressible to produce very
large forces. Hydraulics are used in brakes, for crushing cars, and for making
cars. A hydraulic jack is called a force multiplier. Most cars use hydraulic
brakes. It would be impossible for the driver to produce a force big enough to
stop the car. So the hydraulic braking system makes the driver’s force bigger.
A machine called a hydraulic press can produce a force big enough to shape
a sheet of metal to make a car door.

8.5

Gas pressure is caused by particles colliding with the walls of the container.
As the volume goes down, the pressure goes up. The opposite is also true. If
the volume increases, then the pressure will decrease. If you compress a gas
into a smaller volume, the pressure will be bigger.

With gases, the pressure and volume are inversely proportional. As one
quantity goes up, the other goes down. If you double the volume of a gas, the
pressure will halve. If you halve the volume of a gas, the pressure will double.

The air around us exerts gas pressure on our bodies all the time. This is called
atmospheric pressure. We do not feel the pressure because it is balanced by
the pressure of the gases and liquids in our bodies pushing outwards.

8.6

If the temperature of a gas increases, its pressure increases. If the

temperature of a gas increases, its volume increases. You can explain
observations of pressure, temperature, and volume using a particle model.