UNDERSTANDING

PRESSURE
Pressure is defined as force per
unit area

Force
pressure
Area
F
P
A

Unit for pressure is pascal (Pa) or N m-2

 Force acting over a smaller area
gives a larger pressure

Force acting over a bigger area

gives a smaller pressure
 UNDERSTANDING
PRESSURE IN LIQUIDS
 P hg
h = height or depth
g = acceleration due to gravity
= density
Practice 1
A fish is swimming at a depth of 120 m
below the surface of a sea. The density of
the sea water is 1020 kgm-3, g = 9.8 m s-2.
What is the pressure exerted by the water
on the fish?
Practice 2
Answer practice 1
P = 120 x 1020 x 9.8
= 1199520 Pa
= 1.2 x 106 Pa
Answer practice 2