Forces in Fluids

Fluid pressure
Hydraulics
Bouyancy
Bernoulli’s Principle
 Fluid Pressure
 Exerts a “push” on an object
 Acts in all directions.
 Pressure
 Force that acts over a certain area.

 F
 P A

 Pressure = Force ÷ Area

 Force is measured in Newtons, area in
cm2, so pressure is N/ cm2.
 Example problem
 A woman weighs 750 N. She is standing
on high heels with a total area of 2 cm2
touching the ground. How much pressure
does she exert?
 F 750 N
 P A P 2 cm2

 750N ÷ 2 cm2 = 375 N/cm2

 Example problem 2
 An elephant weighs 75,000 N. She is standing
on 4 big feet. Each foot is 30 cm in diameter.
How much pressure does she exert?
 Area of feet = 4·π·r2 = 2826 cm2

 F 75,000 N
 P A P 2826 cm2

 75,000 N ÷ 2826 cm2 = 26.5 N/cm2

 How can this be?
 An elephant weighs 100 times as much as
a woman, yet it exerts less pressure on
the floor?
What puts a greater force on a bamboo floor?

                                       
                                      

      
                                        
 

A 125 pound
An African
A two ton car? woman with high
elephant?
heels?

Measured in pounds per square inch, (PSI), a car has a load of 28

to 30 PSI, an elephant 50 to 100 PSI, and a 125 pound woman
with high heels, when she takes a step and those hit the floor,
 Fluid pressure increases with
depth.
 Scuba divers feel an extra atmosphere of
pressure every 33 feet (10 meters) they descend.
Boyle’s law told us that as pressure
decreases, volume increases
 If a scuba diver holds her breath when
ascending, serious lung injury can result.
 Why does pressure increase with
depth?
 As a diver descends, the
particles of fluid above
her push down because
of gravity.
 Gravity is a force that is
acting on the fluid.
 The water still pushes on
her from all directions, but
as she goes deeper,
there is a greater column
of water above her.
Hydraulics involve pistons and fluid
pressure.
Pressure = Force ÷ area
What is the pressure in
the fluid?
30N ÷ 100 cm2
= 0.3 N/cm2

0.3 N/cm2
 A small force acting over a larger
distance can create a large force acting
over a smaller distance.
 In a hydraulic system, pressure is
transmitted equally throughout the fluid.

A small force
acting over a
small area
results in a
large force
acting over a
large area.
 How much force can be lifted by
piston “B”?
10 N ÷ 10 cm2 =
Force 1 N/cm2 pressure
100 N
1 N/cm2 x 100 cm2
= 100 N

Pressure = 1 N/cm2
How many times will the force from
“B” be multiplied by piston “A”?
Piston A has 4
times the area
of piston B, so
it will lift 4
times as much.
If piston “A” is pushed on with 10 N
force, how much force will be
transmitted to piston “B”?
Piston A has 4
times the area
of piston B. So
the force on
piston B will be
10 ÷ 4
= 2.5 N
Steven has 2 syringes, connected by a
tube filled with water. They will act like
pistons in a hydraulic system.

The large syringe

is 10 ml, while
the small syringe
is 2.5 ml.
Will Steven be
able to easily lift
a 10N brick by
putting the
small syringe
under it and
pushing on the
large syringe?
Steven now puts the bigger syringe
under the brick.
Here’s what happens……
 Hydraulic devices are possible
because fluid pressure is
transmitted equally throughout the
fluid.
 Many hydraulics are used
everyday.
 Hydraulic four-wheel brakes employ the use of
fluid pressure to actuate the brake pads of each
of the wheels.
Power brakes involve
the use of a master
cylinder and booster
to improve the
effectiveness of a
car's braking system.
By creating an air
vacuum within the
booster, a power
brake can magnify the
force of a depressed
brake pedal and apply
greater fluid pressure
to the individual
wheels.
Boat lifts can be hydraulic
 Bouyancy
 Force of a fluid that pushes up on an
object.
 Makes the object seem lighter
 Archimedes Principle
 There are 2 ways objects can float:
 1) If the buoyant force on an object is equal to
the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
 2) If the density of the object is less than the
density of the liquid.
 What is the density of water?
 1 g/ml
 Will gasoline, with a density of 0.7 g/ml float or
sink in water?
 It will float!
•If the weight of the water displaced is less than the weight
of the object,
the object will sink
•Otherwise the object will float,
with the weight of the water displaced equal to the weight
of the object.
Archimedes' Principle explains why steel ships float.
Steel is more dense than water, so why do ships float?
 Will It Float?

The density of the granola bar is greater

than the density of the water. It will displace less water than
its weight.
 Bernoulli's
Principle states
that when air is
flowing, it has
less pressure.
Thus when this
young man blows
between the two
golf balls, they
COME
TOGETHER!
Bernoulli’s principle is the reason
planes fly.
 There are 4 forces in flight
 Thrust- jet engines and propellers create
lift which moves the plane forward.
 Drag- air friction which must be overcome
for the plane to fly.
 Weight- pulling the plane down.
 Lift- raises the plane.
 Bernoulli’s principle explains how
lift is created.
 Faster moving air has less pressure.
 The shape of the wing makes the air move
faster over the top, creating lift to make the
plane rise.
Air moves faster over the top of the
wing, creating less pressure.
 Sprayers use Bernoulli’s principle
 Squeezing the bulb over the fluid creates
a low pressure area due to the higher
speed of the air, which draws the fluid up.