Lesson 14.

Pressure

General Physics 1/2

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Do you know why
bubbles are spherical
in shape?
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Do you know why
kettles whistle when
the water that it is
holding is already
boiling?
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These can be answered by the concept of pressure. In this
lesson, you will learn more about pressure and its
consequences.

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What is pressure?

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 Learning Competencies
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Relate pressure to area and force

(STEM_GP12FM-IIf41).

● Solve problems involving fluids in

contexts such as, but not limited to
Magdeburg hemispheres (STEM_GP12FM-
IIf47).
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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Define pressure.

● Apply the relationship between pressure, force,

and surface area where the force is applied.

● Understand the physics behind Magdeburg

hemispheres.

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 Pressure

● Back in 1643, an Italian physicist

named Evangelista Torricelli
(1608-1647) performed an
experiment that led to the
invention of the barometer.
● This measures the force exerted
on the surface of the earth by the
air or the atmospheric pressure.

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 Pressure

● The experiment of Torricelli was done by filling a 1-

meter tube with mercury and immersing the opening
end in a shallow pool of mercury exposed to the air.
● The mercury inside the tube dropped down from 1-
meter, to 760-mm or 76-cm and left a 24-cm vacuum.

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 Pressure

● We can see that the force of the air

pressing against the pool of mercury
that keeps it from dropping further is
called the atmospheric pressure.
● Torricelli believed that the force of the
air against the mercury on the pool is
the only reason why the mercury has
not dropped below 760-mm.

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 Pressure

● From Toricelli’s experiment, measuring the pressure

involves force exerted on some area. We can describe it
as:

● The SI unit of pressure is Pascal (Pa) or .

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 A Consequence of Pressure

● A very sharp needle penetrates through our skin, while

the tip of the finger does not.
● The sharp needle will exert more pressure on the skin
than the tip of the finger if you exert equal forces.
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Why does a sharp blade cut
better than a dull blade?

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Why are bubbles spherical in
shape?

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 A Consequence of Pressure

The shape of bubbles

● The atmospheric pressure acts in all

directions and pushes the surface of
the bubble towards inside.
● As a result, the air molecules inside
the bubble cluster together and exert
an equal and opposite force.

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 A Consequence of Pressure

Magdeburg Hemispheres

● One hemisphere is attached to a

vacuum pump to suck all the air
inside to form a vacuum.
● After the vacuum is formed, we can
now try to pull each end of the
hemispheres to separate it.
● However, as much as we try to pull
them apart, it will not even budge. 16
A Consequence of Pressure

Magdeburg Hemispheres

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 Let’s Practice!

The total surface area of the soles of a basketball

player’s shoes is 0.035 m2. Before he jumps to shoot
the ball, he exerts a force of 100 N on the ground.
How much pressure does the ground experience?

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 Let’s Practice!

The total surface area of the soles of a basketball

player’s shoes is 0.035 m2. Before he jumps to shoot
the ball, he exerts a force of 100 N on the ground.
How much pressure does the ground experience?

The player exerts a pressure of 2857.14 Pa on the

ground.
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Try It!

In the game Super Mario, Mario hit the

brick with 100 N using his head. If
Mario’s head has a surface area of 0.40
m2, how much pressure was applied on
the brick?

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 Let’s Practice!

An average person’s head has an area of 0.035 m2.

How much force does the atmosphere exert on an
average person’s head?

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 Let’s Practice!

An average person’s head has an area of 0.035 m2.

How much force does the atmosphere exert on an
average person’s head?

A 3546.38 N force is equal to the weight of the air

pressing against the top of your head.
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Try It!

If Incredible Hulk, who weighs 350 kg,

jumps and drops in free fall, how much
pressure will the ground experience if
the total surface area of both of his feet
are 0.2 m2?

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 Let’s Practice!

How much pressure is applied on your skin by the

sharp hypodermic sharp needle if the tip of the
needle is round with a radius of 0.100 mm and has a
mass of 0.5 g? Express your answer in N/m2.

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 Let’s Practice!

How much pressure is applied on your skin by the

sharp hypodermic sharp needle if the tip of the
needle is round with a radius of 0.100 mm and has a
mass of 0.5 g? Express your answer in N/m2.

The 0.5 g needle exerts a pressure of 155 972 Pa on

your skin.
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Try It!

If the tip of a phonograph needle has a

0.300 mm radius and has a mass of 2.00
g. What is the pressure exerted on the
record? Express your answer in N/m2.

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 Check Your Understanding

Identify whether each statement is true or false.

1. Pressure is not related to the ability of a knife to cut.

2. The atmospheric pressure in high altitudes is smaller
compared to lower altitudes.
3. Atmospheric pressure acts only in one direction.

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 Check Your Understanding

Solve the following problems.

1. If the surface of Superman’s knuckle is 0.01 m2 and he

can strike his opponents with 100 000 N, how much
pressure does his opponent experience?
2. What must be the force of the hammer for Bob to exert
a pressure of 4.00×107 Pa on the nail with a circular tip
of 1.5 mm diameter?

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 Check Your Understanding

Solve the following problems.

3. How much pressure is applied on your skin by the

hypodermic sharp needle if the tip of the needle is
round with a radius of 0.100 mm and has a weight of
0.5 g? Express your answer in N/m2.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Pressure is the force applied perpendicular to

the surface in contact.
● In fluids, pressure can be described as the net
collision between the particles.
● At a constant surface area, pressure is directly
proportional to force. On the other hand,
pressure is inversely proportional to area if force
is held constant.
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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Magdeburg hemispheres are used to

demonstrate the strength of atmospheric
pressure.

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 Key Formula

Concept Formula Description

Use this formula to

Pressure
calculate the pressure
where:
in relation to the force
● P is the pressure
applied on a given
(Pa)
area.
● F is the force (N)
● A is the area (m2)

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Challenge Yourself

Why is it more comfortable to lay

down on a bed than on the floor?

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Photo Credit

● Slide 16: Magdeburg hemispheres-CnAM 8075-IMG 6601-black by Rama is licensed under

CC BY-SA 3.0 FR via Wikimedia Commons

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Bibliography

Giancoli, Douglas C. Physics Principles with Applications (6th ed). USA: Pearson Education, 2005.

Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Kenneth Krane. Fundamentals of Physics (10th ed). USA: Wiley,
2014.

Knight, Randall D. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach (3rd ed). USA: Pearson
Education, 2013.

Serway, Raymond A. and John W. Jewett, Jr. Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (9th
ed). USA: Brooks/Cole, 2014.

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