Pressure Flashcards
What is pressure
- Fluids (either gas or liquids) are substances that can flow because their particles are able to move around .
- As these particles move around they collide with surfaces within the object. They exert a force on the object they collide with .
- This force is called pressure
- The pressure act at a right angle to the object it collides to
What is the equation for pressure
Pressure (pascals)= force(N) / area(m^2)
Why does pressure increase with density
The more dense a liquid is the number of particles it has increases . This means that there are more particles able to collide so pressure is higher
Why does pressure increase with depth
-As depth increases so does the amount of particles above that point. The weight of these particles adds to the pressure felt at that point . So liquid pressure increases with depth
What is the equation to work out pressure in a liquid
Pressure=height of column of the liquid ( the depth)(m)x gravitational field strength x density of the liquid
Why do objects in fluids experience upthrust
- When an object is submerged in a fluid the pressure of the fluid exerts a force on it from every direction
- Pressure increases with depth so the force exerted on the bottom of the object is bigger than that acting on the top of the object
- This causes a resultant force upwards known as upthrust
- This upthrust is equal to the wieght of the fluid that has been displaced
How does density effect if an object floats or sinks
- An object floats if its weight is equal to its upthrust
- an object that is less dense than the fluid it is placed in weighs less than the equivalent volume of fluid. This means it can displace a volume of fluid equal to its weight before it is completely submerged and its upthrist can equal its weight making it float.
- An object that is denser than its fluid is unable to displace enough fluid to equal its weight. This means Its weight is always larger than upthrust so it sinks
What is the atmosphere
The atmosphere is a thin layer of air around the earth which becomes less dense with increasing altitude
How is atmospheric pressure created
Atmospheric pressure is created on the earths surface by particles colliding with the surface
Why does atmospheric pressure vary with altitude
- As altitude increases atmospheric pressure decreases
- This is because as altitude increases the atmosphere gets less dense meaning there are less particles to collide with the surface
- There are also fewer air molecules above a surface(e,g mountains ) as altitude increases . This means that the weight of air above the surface,which contributes to atmospheric pressure, decreases with altitude