PRESSURE

Depends on Force and Area

Pressure

• Describes how a force

is spread over an
area.

• It is a measure of how
much force is acting
on a certain area.
 Pressure (cont.)
• When a cat lies down on your lap, the force of
the cat’s weight is spread out over a large area
of your lap.
• If the cat stands up, all of the force from the cat’s
weight is concentrated into its paws.
 Increasing Pressure
You can increase pressure in two ways:
1. Increase the force

2. Decrease the area of the force

 The Model
Pressure = Force / Area

P=F/A

Units: pascal (Pa)

Pressure acts in all directions in fluids
• Fluids are made of loosely connected particles
that are too small to see.
• Their motion is random; they crash into one
another and into anything around.
• As they collide with an object in
the fluid, they apply constant
pressure to the surfaces of the
object.
 Pressure in Air
• At sea level the pressure of the air in the
atmosphere exerts 2.2 lbs. of pressure on
every square centimeter of your body.

• You don’t notice it, though, because your

body provides an equal reaction force!
 Pressure in Air (cont.)
• Changing Elevation- As you go up, air pressure
decreases.
• Changing Density- Air at lower elevations is
denser.
 Pressure in Water
• Water exerts more pressure on you than air
because it is denser.
• As you go deeper, the pressure increases.
• At 3300 ft. the pressure of the water would
collapse your lungs if you weren’t wearing
special deep sea diving equipment.
 Summary
• Pressure is a measure of how much force is acting on
a certain area.
• You can increase pressure in two ways:
1. Increase the force
2. Decrease the area of the force
• P=F/A
• Pressure acts in all directions in fluids.
• As elevation increases air pressure decreases.
• As depth in water decreases pressure increases.