Pressure

What do we already know about

pressure?
Pressure is a force which acts at right angles on
an object
Pressure is exerted downwards by a solid object
If the area a force acts on is small, a greater
pressure will be given
If the same force was applied to a larger area
the pressure will be reduced.
Gases and liquids exert pressure in all
directions

How do we calculate pressure?

Pressure can be calculated by dividing the force by
the area

Pressure = force
area
Pressure is measured in Pascals (Pa)
We sometimes see pressure being measured in
N/m2 or N/cm2
1Pa is the same as 1N/m2

Sensible shoes?
The force of our body
pushing down will exert a
pressure
The surface area of our shoes
in contact with the ground
will affect the pressure
These stiletto shoes will
concentrate the force over a
small area
These shoes will give a
larger pressure and would
not be suitable for walking
on soft ground

More sensible
shoes
These boots have a large
surface area
The weight of a person is
spread out over the larger
surface
The pressure exerted by the
person is smaller than if they
were wearing stiletto shoes
A small pressure means you
will not sink into soft ground

Examples of where a large area

is needed to reduce pressure.
Caterpillar tracks on diggers and
on tanks
Tyres on a tractor
Skis and snowboards
snowshoes

Examples of where a small area is

needed to increase the pressure
Nails

Needles
Kitchen knives
Scissors
Drawing pins
Spade

Questions on
pressure
Answers:

1) What combination of
force and area give a
high pressure?
2) What combination of
force and area give a
low pressure?
3) What is the formula for
calculating pressure?
4) What units are pressure
given in?

1) Large force and small

area
2) Small force on large
area
3) Pressure = force /area
4) Pascals (Pa)

Practice using the formula for

pressure
1.

A box weighs 500N. Its base has

an area of 5 m2. What pressure
does it exert?

Answers:
1. 100 Pa

2.

Another identical box is placed on

top of the first box. What is the
pressure now?

2. 200 Pa

3.

A snowboarder weighs 600N. The

area of the snowboard is 0.5m2.
What is the pressure on the snow?

3. 120 Pa

Liquid pressure
Liquids are made up of particles
The particles can move in all directions
The pressure exerted by a liquid acts in
all directions too
Liquids with a high density will exert a
higher pressure
As you go deeper, the pressure
increases
This is due to the weight of all the
water above pushing down

Water pressure and body

pressure
Water pressure
acts in all
directions on this
fish
The fishs body
pushes back with
an equal and
opposite pressure

List the fish under the highest

pressure to the lowest pressure
Angel

Flipper
Snapper

Bubbles
Snapper
Bubbles
Flipper

Angel

Water pressure and

scuba
diving
When this deep
sea diver
goes
deeper, the water pressure
on
his body increases. This will
cause
his blood pressure to
increase. The
increased pressure inside his
body
causes gas exchange in his
lungs to

Problems for scuba

divers
As a diver ascends the
water

pressure will decrease, and the

divers blood pressure will
decrease.
The nitrogen which dissolved in
the blood easily under high
pressure will come back out.
If the diver decompresses too
quickly the nitrogen leaves the
blood so quickly it will bubble
and fizz like carbon dioxide from
a bottle of pop.
This is known as the bends.

A cure for the

bends
A diver can go into a decompression
chamber to avoid getting the bends
The pressure in the chamber is
controlled to change slowly from
high pressure to a low pressure.
This allows the divers pressure to
decrease slowly to avoid nitrogen
leaving the blood so quickly.

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