Pressure and buoyancy

11-12-99
Sections 10.1 - 10.6
What is a fluid?
You probably think of a fluid as a liquid, but a fluid is simply anythin that can flo!. "his includes
liquids, but ases are fluids too.
Mass density
#hen !e talk about density it$s usually mass density !e$re referrin to. "he mass density of an
ob%ect is simply its mass di&ided by its &olume. "he symbol for density is the 'reek letter rho, r (
)ensity depends on a fe! basic thins. *n a microscopic le&el, the density of an ob%ect depends
on the !eiht of the indi&idual atoms and molecules makin up the ob%ect, and ho! much space
there is bet!een them. *n a lare-scale le&el, density depends on !hether the ob%ect is solid,
hollo!, or somethin in bet!een.
+n eneral, liquids and solids ha&e similar densities, !hich are of the order of 1000 k , m-. #ater
at ./ 0 has a density of e1actly this &alue2 &ery dense materials like lead and old ha&e densities
!hich are 10 - 20 times larer. 'ases, on the other hand, ha&e densities around 1 k , m-, or about
1,1000 as much as !ater.
)ensities are often i&en in terms of specific ra&ity. "he specific ra&ity of an ob%ect or a
material is the ratio of its density to the density of !ater at ./ 0 3this temperature is used because
this is the temperature at !hich !ater is most dense4. 'old has a specific ra&ity of 19.-,
aluminum 2.5, and mercury 1-.6. 6ote that these &alues are at standard temperature and pressure2
ob%ects !ill chane si7e, and therefore density, in response to a chane in temperature or pressure.
8ressure
)ensity depends on pressure, but !hat e1actly is pressure9 8ressure is simply the force
e1perienced by an ob%ect di&ided by the area of the surface on !hich the force acts. 6ote that the
force here is the force actin perpendicular to the surface.
8ressure ( 8 : ; , < 3"he force is applied perpendicular to the area <4
"he unit for pressure is the pascal, 8a. 8ressure is often measured in other units 3atmospheres,
pounds per square inch, millibars, etc.4, but the pascal is the unit that oes !ith the =>S 3meter-
kiloram-second4 system.
#hen !e talk about atmospheric pressure, !e$re talkin about the pressure e1erted by the !eiht
of the air abo&e us. "he air oes up a lon !ay, so e&en thouh it has a lo! density it still e1erts a
lot of pressure(
*n e&ery square meter at the ?arth$s surface, then, the atmosphere e1erts about 1.0 1 10@ 6 of
force. "his is &ery lare, but it is not usually noticed because there is enerally air both inside and
outside of thins, so the forces applied by the atmosphere on each side of an ob%ect balance. +t is
!hen there are differences in pressure on t!o sides that atmospheric pressure becomes important.
< ood e1ample is !hen you drink usin a stra!( you reduce the pressure at the top of the stra!,
and the atmosphere pushes the liquid up the stra! and into your mouth.
8ressure &s. depth in a static fluid
"he pressure at any point in a static fluid depends only on the pressure at the top of the fluid and
the depth of the point in the fluid. +f point 2 lies a &ertical distance h belo! point 1, there is a
hiher pressure at point 22 the pressure at the t!o points is related by the equation(
6ote that point 2 does not ha&e to be directly belo! point 12 it is simply a &ertical distance belo!
point 1. "his means that e&ery point at a particular depth in a static fluid is at the same pressure.
8ascal$s principle
8ascal$s principle can be used to e1plain ho! hydraulic systems !ork. < common e1ample of such
a system is the lift used to raise a car off the round so it can be repaired at a arae.
8ascal$s principle ( 8ressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted undiminished to e&ery part
of the fluid, as !ell as to the !alls of the container.
+n a hydraulic lift, a small force applied to a small-area piston is transformed to a lare force at a
lare-area piston. +f a car sits on top of the lare piston, it can be lifted by applyin a relati&ely
small force, the ratio of the forces bein equal to the ratio of the areas of the pistons.
?&en thouh the force can be much less, the !ork done is the same. #ork is force times the
distance, so if the force on the lare piston is 10 times larer than the force on the smaller piston,
the distance it tra&els is 10 times smaller.
=easurin pressure
"he relationship bet!een pressure and depth is often e1ploited in instruments that measure
pressure. "!o pressure aues based on this principle are the closed-tube manometer and the
open-tube manometer, !hich measure pressure by comparin the pressure at one end of the tube
!ith a kno!n pressure at the other end.
< standard mercury barometer is a closed-tube manometer, !ith one end sealed. "he sealed end is
close to 7ero pressure, !hile the other end is open to the atmosphere, or is connected to !here the
pressure is bein measured. Aecause there is a pressure difference bet!een the t!o ends of the
tube, a column of fluid can be maintained in the tube, !ith the heiht of the column proportional
to the pressure difference. +f the closed end is at 7ero pressure, then the heiht of the column is
proportional to the pressure at the other end.
+n an open-tube manometer, one end of the tube is open to the atmosphere, and is thus at
atmospheric pressure. "he other end is connected to a reion !here the pressure is to be measured.
<ain, if there is a difference in pressure bet!een the t!o ends of the tube, a column of fluid can
be supported in the tube, !ith the heiht of the column bein proportional to the pressure
difference.
"he actual pressure, 82, is kno!n as the absolute pressure2 the pressure difference bet!een the
absolute pressure and atmospheric pressure is called the aue pressure. =any pressure aues
i&e only the aue pressure.
?urekaB
<ccordin to leend, this is !hat <rchimedes$ cried !hen he disco&ered an important fact about
buoyancy, so important that !e call it <rchimedes$ principle 3and so important that <rchimedes
alleedly %umped from his bath and ran naked throuh the streets after fiurin it out4.
<rchimedes principle ( <n ob%ect that is partly or completely submered in a fluid !ill e1perience
a buoyant force equal to the !eiht of the fluid the ob%ect displaces.
"he buoyant force applied by the fluid on the ob%ect is directed up. "he force comes from the
difference in pressure e1erted on the top and bottom of an ob%ect. ;or a floatin ob%ect, the top
surface is at atmospheric pressure, !hile the bottom surface is at a hiher pressure because it is in
contact !ith the fluid at a particular depth in the fluid, and pressure increases !ith depth. ;or a
completely-submered ob%ect, the top surface is no loner at atmospheric pressure, but the bottom
surface is still at a hiher pressure because it$s deeper in the fluid. +n both cases, the difference in
pressure results in a net up!ard force 3the buoyant force4 on the ob%ect.
?1ample
< basketball floats in a bathtub of !ater. "he ball has a mass of 0.@ k and a diameter of 22 cm.
3a4 #hat is the buoyant force9
3b4 #hat is the &olume of !ater displaced by the ball9
3c4 #hat is the a&erae density of the basketball9
3a4 "o find the buoyant force, simply dra! a free-body diaram. "he ball floats on the !ater, so
there is no net force( the !eiht is balanced by the buoyant force, so(
3b4 Ay <rchimedes$ principle, the buoyant force is equal to the !eiht of fluid displaced. "he
!eiht is the mass times , and the mass is the density times the &olume, so(
and then the &olume displaced is simply(
3c4 "o find the density of the ball, !e need to determine the &olume. "his is i&en by(
"he density is then %ust the mass di&ided by this &olume, so(
<nother !ay to find density is to use the &olume of displaced fluid. ;or a floatin ob%ect, the
!eiht of the ob%ect equals the buoyant force, !hich equals the !eiht of the displaced fluid.
0ancelin out a factor of i&es(
So the density is(
"he basketball is much less dense than !ater because it is filled !ith air. <n ob%ect 3or a fluid4 !ill
float on a fluid if its density is less than that of the fluid2 if its density is larer than the fluid$s, it
!ill sink.