The Quick-Start Guide to Forces and Pressure in Fluids

Forces and Pressure in Fluids Problems and Solutions

Illustration Created Using Public Domain Photos

By Andrew Bennett

Forces and Pressure in Physics Problem

Which would be worse: Having your foot stepped on by an elephant or by a woman wearing stiletto heels? Although the force from the elephant will certainly be larger, it might also be worth considering the amount of pressure on your foot. By this measure, you might be better off with the elephant!

**Important warning: Do not tell any woman you know that you'd rather have an elephant step on your foot than her. No amount of physics will get you out of a mess like that!**

Forces and Pressure in Fluids

When we move from solid objects to fluids (liquids and gases), all of the same rules of physics still apply. We sometimes have some work to do to convert those rules to a form that we can make calculations and predictions with.

What Is Pressure?

When dealing with solid objects, it was easy to identify individual forces that act at single locations. With fluids, however, those forces tend to be distributed over surfaces. Rather than work with each of these individual forces, we find it useful to define the term pressure as the ratio of the total force applied to a surface divided by the area over which that force acts. This can be written as:

In this video, we will practice making conversions between forces and pressure, as well as working with some of the units that are used for pressure, such as pascals and psi. We also will determine the answer to the elephant vs. stiletto question.

If viewing via email, click here to see the video.

Subscribe for More Physics Tutorials

You can subscribe to this blog here and to my YouTube channel here. Thank you for your support!

Comments

3 Easy Science Experiments to Do with Your Kids

By Amber Bennett Strong STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills set kids up to succeed both in school and later in life. Encouraging them to be interested in these subjects is easier than you might think, especially if you start when they're young. Activities that encourage children to be curious and creative will spark a love of learning. Plus, science experiments and other hands-on STEM projects are a fun way to bond with your kids. Here are three easy science experiments that preschoolers and early elementary students will enjoy. 1. Leakproof Plastic Bag A (age 5) doing the leakproof plastic bag experiment. Our preschooler loves to do any experiment that involves water. I can give her a couple of beakers, and she'll happily pour water back and forth between them, especially if I put a few drops of food coloring in each beaker so she can mix the colors. Another great activity that involves water is the leakproof plastic bag. All you need are: Large plastic

Why Do They Do That? The Physics Behind 3 Famous Animal Behaviors

By Amber Bennett Have you ever wondered about the origins of the phrase, "get your ducks in a row"? What about how the "doggy paddle" works or why squirrels are such amazing jumpers? The answers to all of these questions have one thing in common: physics. Keep reading to learn about the science behind these three famous animal behaviors. How Do Squirrels Leap from Branch to Branch? A squirrel leaps through the air. Photo Credit: caroline legg , CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The death-defying acrobatic maneuvers performed by squirrels look a lot like parkour tricks. But how do they know how to land tricky jumps between bendy tree branches that move with the wind? Researchers say it's a combination of learned behavior (practice makes perfect) and inherited adaptations. To see what determines how far a squirrel is willing to jump and how the leaps are timed, researchers set up an obstacle course in an artificial forest. Then, they used peanuts to encoura

How Virtual Currency Mining Is Hurting the Environment - Science in the News

Datacenters used for cryptocurrency mining use a lot of energy. By Amber Bennett Although cryptocurrencies are virtual, they are having a tangible impact on our environment. Research shows that cryptocurrencies actually are worse for the earth than other types of money. So, why is that? Simply put, it's because of the resources needed to run the supercomputers that mine Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Energy Use The datacenters used for mining use large amounts of electricity. For example, the global Bitcoin network uses more energy than entire countries . In fact, according to the University of Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index , the network's power demand is the same as more than 14 million typical American homes. Most of the energy used in the datacenters comes from fossil fuels instead of renewable resources. Plus, datacenters' high energy use can destabilize the electric grid. Materials Mining Another way that cryptocurrency impacts the environme

Bennett Science Blog

Search This Blog