Hydrostatics

Pressure
May 12, 2021
“Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind
to it and maintain a positive attitude”
• define pressure and apply definition; Apply: P = F/A
• relate the pressure at a point in a fluid to its depth and the density;
• Apply: ΔP = ρgΔh (for fluid pressure); (Pascal) Pa = Nm-2 .
• All points on the same horizontal level in a fluid at rest, have the same
pressure.
• Demonstrate using a can with holes at same and at different levels, to
illustrate the principle.
• Apply Archimedes’ principle to predict whether a body would float or
sink in a given fluid.
• Relevant examples include rafts, boats, balloons, and submarines.
Background:
• The pressure of air can compress soft ground so that your feet sink in.
The pressure of water can throw a fountain high in the air. The
increased pressure inside a pressure cooker makes the food cook
more quickly at a higher temperature and the high air pressure inside
a bicycle or car tyre helps it support a heavy load.
 Force, Pressure and Area
• Pressure is a measure of how hard a force pushes
against something. The size of the pressure
depends on how big the force is, and on the area
it pushes against. Sometimes we can feel whether
pressure is high or low. It is a scalar quantity.
 Force, Pressure and Area
Pressure in solids
Consider the following examples below.
You can push hard enough on the head of the
drawing pin to push it into the board. The force
is spread out over a large area, so the pressure
is low. If you pushed equally hard on the tip of
the pin, it would hurt a lot! The same force
spread over a very small area gives a high
pressure which hurts.
A person wearing high-heeled sandals will sink
into soft sand, but the same person wearing flip
flops won’t. When they wear high-heeled
sandals, the force (their weight) is spread over a
small area. The pressure is high and they sink in.
With flip flops, the same force is spread over a
bigger area. The pressure is less, so they don’t
sink in.

If I stand in my shoes on soft, muddy ground, I

run the risk of sinking into the mud. However, if I
stand on a piece of board and distribute my
weight over the area of contact between the
board and the ground, then I am less likely to
sink. This is because in the second case, I would
be distributing my weight over a larger area (the
board) and so the pressure when I stand on the
 Calculating Pressure

• The ratio of normal force (force at right angles to the surface) to area
is called pressure.
• We calculate the pressure on a surface from the formula:
• How did we come up with that formula for pressure. Let’s examine
 Pressure Magic Triangle
• To use the triangle, cover the unknown to determine the formula.

• Pressure is measured in Pascals (Pa) or newton per metre squared (Nm-2)

1 Pascal = 1 Newton per square metre
1 Pa = 1 Nm-2

• Area is measured in metre squared (m2)

• Force is measured in Newtons (N)
Relationship between force, pressure and area
• Pressure is directly proportional to force
• If force increases, pressure increase OR if force decreases, pressure
decreases

• Pressure is inversely proportional to area

• If area is small, the pressure will be more
• If area is large, the pressure will be less

NB: Pressure cannot exist without force

Units of Pressure
• As mentioned before, the SI unit of pressure is Pascal which is named
after Blaise Pascal, a French Mathematician of the 17th century. Other
units of pressure such as Ncm-2 and Nmm-2 have been used in Physics
Sample Question
• A crate is placed is on the floor. The crate exerts a force of 3500 N on
the floor. The area of the crate in contact with the floor is 5 m2. Find
the pressure exerted by the crate on the floor.

• = 700 Nm-2 or 700 Pa

Example 1
• The wind pressure on the wall on the right is 100 Pa. If the wall has an
area of 6 m2, what is the force on it?
To solve this problem, you need to rearrange the pressure equation:
Example 2
• A concrete block has a mass of 2600 kg. If the block measures 0.5 m
by 1.0 m by 2.0 m, what is the maximum pressure it can exert when
resting on the ground? ( g = 10 N/kg)
Practice Questions
 Summary Questions

 State the formula used to calculate pressure

 What are the units of pressure?
• A liquid is held in its container by its weight .
This causes pressure on the container and
pressure on any object in the liquid.
• The following properties apply to any
stationary liquid in an open container. The
experiments below demonstrate three of
them.
1. Pressure acts in all directions-
The liquid pushes on every surface in contact
with it, no matter which way the surface is
facing. For example, the deep sea vessel
below has to withstand the crushing effect
of sea water pushing in on it from all sides,
not just downwards.
2. Pressure increases with depth
• The deeper into a liquid you go, the greater the weight of liquid above
and higher the pressure. Dams are made thicker at the bottom to
withstand the higher pressure there.
 Pressure and depth
• The figure seen below is a simple way
of showing that the pressure in a
liquid increase with depth. The water
comes out of the lowest tube in the
tank fastest due to the greatest
pressure. The pressure is caused by
the weight of liquid above the level of
the tube and the weight of liquid is
proportional to the height of liquid
above that level. The distances
reached from the base of the tank by
the jets of water are roughly
proportional to the heights of water
h1, h2 and h3.
3. Pressure depends on the density of the
liquid
• The more dense the liquid, the higher the
pressure at any particular depth.

4. Pressure doesn’t depend on the shape of the

container
• Whatever the shape or width , the pressure at
any particular depth is the same.
Pressure in liquids and gases
Key facts about the pressure in a liquid
• Pressure in a liquid is not affected by the shape or cross-sectional area
of its container
• All points on the same horizontal level in a liquid at rest have the
same pressure
• Pressure in a liquid acts equally in all directions at the same depth
• Pressure is directly proportional to the depth below the surface or the
height h of liquid above
• Pressure is directly proportional to the density, ρ (rho) of the liquid
 Pressure and forces in a liquid

The pressure in a liquid can be used to transmit a force because of the following liquid properties:
• Liquids are incompressible (not able to be compressed)
• Liquid pressure acts equally in all directions (at the same level)
• Changes in liquid pressure are transmitted instantaneously and uniformly to all parts of the
liquid.
Calculating the pressure in a liquid
• We calculate the pressure in a liquid from the formula:

Pressure = density × gravity × height

p = ρgh

• h – is the height of liquid above

• ρ – is the density of the liquid
• g – gravity (9.81 Nkg-1)
 Worked Examples
Example 1:
• The density of liquid mercury is 14 × 103 kgm-3. Calculate the liquid
pressure 0.76 m below the surface of mercury.
p = ρgh
= 14 × 103 kgm-3 × 9.81 Nkg-1 × 0.76 m
= 1.04 × 105 Nm-2 but 1 Nm-2 = 1 Pa
∴ p = 1.04 × 105 Pa
Example 2
• If the density of water is 1000 kg/m3, what is the pressure due to the
water at the bottom of a swimming pool 2 m deep?
p = ρgh
= 1000 kgm-3 × 10 Nkg-1 × 2 m
= 20, 000 Nm-2
= 2.0 × 104 Nm-2 but 1 Nm-2 = 1 Pa
∴ p = 2.0 × 104 Pa
 Example 3:
Calculate the pressure under a girl’s foot in pascals if her mass is 33.6 kg and the area of her
shoe is 168 cm2.
A = 168 cm2 (168 ÷ 1002) = 0.0168 m2
1 cm = 100 m
(1 cm)2 = (100 m)2
= 10000 m2

Recall
F=m×a
= 33.6 kg × 9.81 Nkg-1
= 329.6 N

= 19,619.05 N/m2
= 19,619.05 Pa or 1.96 × 104 Pa
 Example 4:
• Calculate the hydrostatic pressure exerted on the hull of a sunken ship
at a point X that is 1000 m below the surface of the water (Figure
10.4). Take the density of sea-water to be 1012 kgm-3.
 Solution:
p = ρgh (where h is the depth of the point below the surface)
= 1012 kgm-3 × 10 Nkg-1 × 1000 m
= 10.12 × 106 Pa or 10.12 MPa (M is mega which is ×106)
Example 5
• The cross-section of a canal is shown in Figure 10.5. The depth of the
canal is 40 m and the density of the water it contains is 1000 kgm-3.
The sloping side makes an angle of 60 with the horizontal.
i. Calculate the pressure P1, acting at a point half-way down the sloping side.
Note that the question mentioned a depth half-way down so we use 20 m instead
of 40 m
P1 = ρgh
= 1000 kgm-3 × 10 Nkg-1 × 20 m
= 200, 000 Pa or 200 kPa (since 1 kPa = 1000 Pa)

ii. Calculate the pressure P2, acting at a point half-way down the vertical side.
Since the depth of this point is the same as that of the first, the pressure P 2 will
have the same pressure as P1, that is P2 = 200 kPa or 200,000 Pa.
 Example 6
• Figure 10.9 shows two cylinders A and B, each full of the same liquid
and connected to each other by a tube. The piston in A has an area of
5 cm2 and that in B has an area of 50 cm2. A force of 10 N is applied to
the piston in A. What force is needed on the piston in B to keep the
pistons stationary?
 Solution
We know that
Pressure= Force/area
So Pressure under piston in A = (10 N)/(5 cm2)
= 2.0 Ncm-2
Now for the pistons not to move, the 2.0 Ncm-2 must be the transmitted pressure
to be applied downward on the piston in B to prevent it from moving. To find the
force created under the piston in B we do the following:
F=p×A
= 2.0 N cm-2 × 50 cm2
= 100 N
∴To prevent the piston in B from rising under the action of the upward force
from piston A, we must apply an equal downward force of 100 N to the piston
in B.
Experiment to demonstrate air pressure
• Step 1:Fill a cup or glass halfway with
water
• Step 2: Place a sheet of paper,
cardboard or card over the top and
turn upside down.
• Results: Air pressure pushes up on the
card. Since there is no air pressure
pushing down on the other side of the
paper/card, it stays in place.
Caution: The tiniest bubble of air on
the inside of the cup/glass will cause
the paper to fall off and the water to
spill.
 Measuring pressure using different apparatus
How it works?
 U-tube manometers
• The manometer is essentially a simple U-tube containing
water, oil or sometimes mercury and is usually used to
measure gas pressure. One end of the U-tube is exposed to the
unknown pressure to be measured and the other end is
connected to a reference pressure source (usually atmospheric
pressure).
• P1 is the pressure to be measured (gas pressure) and P2 is the
pressure at A (Atmospheric pressure).
• The U-tube contains a liquid of density ρ. The pressure
difference between P1 and P2 is indicated by the difference
between the liquid levels, h.
• The pressures at C and B are equal because they are at the
same level in the liquid. So, the pressure at B gives a measure
of P1.
Total pressure at B = atmospheric pressure + liquid pressure
P1 = P2 + ρgh
 The mercury barometer - How it works?
• A barometer uses the principle of the U-tube manometer. It is a
device that consists of an upside-down tube filled with mercury that
is in a vessel full of mercury. It is primarily used for measuring
atmospheric pressure and how it works is that the atmosphere (or
the air) pushes down on the mercury in the vessel, which in turn,
pushes the mercury in the tube up.
• There is a vacuum above C and zero pressure. Also, there are two
pressures acting P1 (atmospheric pressure) = ρgh and P2 = zero
• Atmospheric pressure or air pressure is caused by the weight of air
above us in the Earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure varies
around the surface of the Earth and with height above sea level. It
is measured in bars.
• 1 bar = 100 kPa (this is normal atmospheric pressure)
• 1 bar = 1000 millibars
• ∴ 1 bar =100 kPa = 1000 millibars
• So, the atmospheric pressure on an average day near sea level may
be quoted as either 100 kPa, 1 bar, 1000 milliibars.
• NB: All places on a weather map that have the same atmospheric
pressure are joined together by lines called isobars.
SUMMARY QUESTIONS
1)Why do bubbles get bigger as they rise to the surface of a
liquid?
• Firstly, bubbles are comprised of gases which has a lesser
density than water. At the bottom of the water, pressure is
greatest. However, as we go upwards the pressure
decreases and this is the reason that air bubble in water
grow in size when it rises from bottom to top. Also, the
bubbles are lighter than the liquid around them since air is
less dense than water so they get pushed to the top by the
pressure around them since gravity is acting less on it. This
is known as buoyancy.

• Note: the pressure exerted by water is directly proportional

to the depth of water, so as the depth of water increases
(gets deeper), the pressure increases as well and vice versa
2) Why do high-flying aircraft (say 30,000 feet) need to be airtight and have pressurized cabins?
Answer: At high altitude the aircraft has very low density, and low pressure (i.e. less air, the
higher you go). Your body takes in air containing oxygen which is vital to some of its functions.
The air has pressure which if reduced, consequently reduces the pressure of oxygen. Now, if
the pressure of the oxygen reduces, there is not enough to exchange for the CO2 in your blood.
This leads to hypoxia, with the associated symptoms such as sluggish behavior, confusion,
giddiness, and eventually death. Hence, it is important for aircrafts to have pressurized cabins
(low pressure) to allow the people on the plane to continue to breathe properly at about 6000
to 8000 feet.

3) Why do dams that hold water in reservoirs must be thicker at the base.
Answer: The dam of water reservoir is made thick at the bottom because, the pressure of the
water is greatest at maximum depth ( at the bottom). This characteristic enables the dam to
bear the maximum pressure of water.
 NEXT CLASS
• Archimedes’ principle and floating