Date: 23/08/2022

Class: #7

Syllabus Topic: Pressure

Title: Hydrostatics, Pressure and Archimedes’ Principle

Pressure

Definition:

Pressure can be defined as the normal force acting on a surface per unit area.

Question 1:

What is the unit of Pressure?

Answer:

The unit is Pascals (𝑃𝑎).

Question 2:

Write two equations for finding pressure.

Answer:

𝐹
𝑃=𝐴 and 𝑃 = ℎ𝜌𝑔
Question 3:

What do the letters in 𝑃 = ℎ𝜌𝑔 stand for?

Answer:

𝑃 = ℎ𝑝𝑔

where 𝑃 = pressure

ℎ = height/depth of liquid

𝜌 = density of the liquid

𝑔 = gravity

Question 4:

What is the SI unit for 𝜌?

Answer:

mass
𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 or 𝑘𝑔𝑚−3 since density =
volume
Question 5:

𝐹 = 10 𝑁 𝐹 = 10 𝑁

90°
70°

𝐴1 𝐴2

Given that 𝐴1 = 𝐴2 , which area experiences the larger force?

Answer:

𝐴2 has a higher downward pressure.

Question 6:

What are the five points for pressure in liquids?

Answer:

The five points are:

1. Pressure is the same at all points at the same depth.

2. Pressure is not affected by the shape or cross-section of the container.

3. Pressure acts equally in all directions at the same depth.

4. Pressure is directly proportional to the depth of the liquid, ℎ.

5. Pressure is directly proportional to density, 𝜌.

|
|
𝑑1 𝑑2

|
|

• 𝑑1 = 𝑑2

• Pressure at 𝑑1 = Pressure at 𝑑2
Manometer

Definition:

- a device that measures gas pressure

- does this by comparing differences in height of a fluid of known density in a U-shaped

tube.

Consider the diagram below:

But 𝑃1 = 𝑃2 .

So, 𝑷𝟏 = 𝑷𝑨 + 𝒉𝝆𝒈

Worked Example 1

Consider the diagram below.

𝑃1
unknown
|

pressure
9 𝑐𝑚
|

Use 𝑔 = 10 𝑁𝑘𝑔−1 and 𝑃𝐴 = 101 𝑘𝑃𝑎.

Density of fluid = 1000 𝑘𝑔𝑚−3 .

Find the value of 𝑃1 .

𝑃1 = 𝑃2 since pressure is the same at the same depth

We have 𝑃2 = 𝑃𝐴 + ℎ𝜌𝑔.

∴ 𝑃1 = 𝑃𝐴 + ℎ𝜌𝑔

∴ 𝑃1 = 101 000 + (0.09)(1000)(10)

∴ 𝑃1 = 101 000 + 900

∴ 𝑃1 = 101 900 𝑃𝑎
Worked Example 2

Consider the diagram below.

𝑃1
unknown
pressure

|
25 𝑐𝑚

Liquid’s density = 1300 𝑘𝑔𝑚−3

Use 𝑔 = 10 𝑁𝑘𝑔−1 .

Atmospheric pressure = 1.01 × 105 𝑃𝑎

What is the pressure (𝑃1 ) of the unknown gas?

𝑃𝐴 = 𝑃1 + ℎ𝜌𝑔

𝑃1 = 𝑃𝐴 − ℎ𝜌𝑔

𝑃1 = 101 000 − (0.25)(1300)(10)

𝑃1 = 101 000 − 3250

𝑃1 = 97 750 𝑃𝑎
Barometer

The simplest kind of barometer is a tall closed tube standing upside down in a bath of

mercury (a dense liquid metal at room temperature) so the liquid rises partly up the tube a

bit like it does in a thermometer. Mercury is commonly used in barometers because it's more

convenient than using water. Water is less dense (less heavy, in effect) than mercury so air

pressure will lift a certain volume of water much higher up a tube than the same volume of

mercury.

In other words, if you use water, you need a really tall tube and your barometer will be so

enormous as to be impractical. But if you use mercury, you can get by with a much smaller

piece of equipment.

vacuum at
top of tube scale indicates
air pressure
Atmospheric
pressure pushes mercury rises up
down on mercury inverted tube

760 𝑚𝑚
A Torricellian barometer (sometimes called a mercury barometer) is an inverted (upside-

down) glass tube standing in a bath of mercury. Air pressure pushes down on the surface of

the mercury, making some rise up the tube. The greater the air pressure, the higher the

mercury rises. You can read the pressure off a scale marked onto the glass.

Examples of barometers:

Low pressure meant another system is moving in, for example, a hurricane is coming.

High pressure is good news.

In your response, you can mention that when the mercury level reaches approximately

760 𝑚𝑚, the column of mercury is creating enough pressure to balance off atmospheric

pressure and hence, does not rise any further.

The upwards force that acts on an object wholly or partially immersed in a fluid is equal and

opposite to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Upthrust = Weight of the fluid displaced

The vertical forces acting upon an object which is submerged in a fluid can be represented

by two forces:

𝑊 – weight of the object

𝑈 – upthrust of the fluid

Upthrust

Weight

An object immersed in a fluid can:

1. Float (𝑊 = 𝑈)

2. Sink (𝑊 > 𝑈)

3. Rise (𝑊 < 𝑈)
Experiment investigating Archimedes’ Principle

The apparatus is set up below to weigh an object in both air and water to determine how

much weight is loss when it is submerged completed in water.

weighing
scale

volume of the
object displaced water

water

buoyant force

Note:

Upward buoyant force = Weight of the water displaced

When a wooden cube of side 10 𝑐𝑚 is immersed in water with density 1000 𝑘𝑔𝑚−3 ,

15 grams of water is displaced and collected in the beaker.

Use 𝑔 = 10 𝑁𝑘𝑔−1 .

Calculate:

(a) the weight of the wooden cube

(b) the volume of water displaced

(c) the density of the wooden cube

Solution:

(a) Weight = 𝑚𝑔

(since weight of wooden cube is equal to the weight of water displaced)

Weight = 0.015 × 10

Weight = 0.15 𝑁

mass
(b) Density = volume

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
Volume = 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦

0.015
Volume = 1000

Volume = 1.5 × 10−5 𝑚3

0.015
Density = 0.001

Density = 15 𝑘𝑔𝑚−3

Question:

The mass of a cruise ship is 2.2 × 108 𝑘𝑔.

(a) What is the weight of water displaced by the ship?

(b) What is the volume of water displaced by the ship?

Use 𝜌 = 1000 𝑘𝑔𝑚−3 .

Solution:

(a) Weight of water displaced = Weight of ship (when floating)

Weight of water displaced = 2.2 × 108 × 10

Weight of water displaced = 2.2 × 109 𝑁

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
(b) Density =
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
Volume = 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦

2.2×108
Volume = 1000

Volume = 2.2 × 105 𝑚3 or 220 000 𝑚3

Two spheres 𝐴 and 𝐵, each of volume 100 𝑐𝑚3 are placed on water (density = 1.0 𝑔𝑐𝑚−3).

The sphere 𝐴 is made of wood of density 0.3 𝑔𝑐𝑚−3 and the sphere 𝐵 is made of iron of

density 8.9 𝑔𝑐𝑚−3.

(a) Find:

(i) the weight of each sphere

(ii) the upthrust on each sphere

(b) Which sphere will float? Give a reason for your answer.

Use 𝑔 = 10 𝑁𝑘𝑔−1 .

Solution:

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
(a) (i) density = 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒

mass = density × volume

Wood:

mass = 0.3 × 100

mass = 30 𝑔
30
weight = 1000 × 10

weight = 0.3 𝑁
 Iron:

mass = 8.9 × 100

mass = 890 𝑔
890
weight = 1000 × 10

weight = 8.9 𝑁

(ii) Maximum volume of water = 100 𝑐𝑚3

Maximum mass of water = 100 𝑔

Maximum mass of water = 0.1 𝑘𝑔

Maximum weight of water = 1 𝑁

Wood:

Upthrust = 0.3 𝑁

Iron:

Upthrust = 1 𝑁

(b) The wood will float since the density of the wood is less than density of the water.