Topic : 3.

2 UNDERSTANDING PRESSURE IN LIQUIDS

Learning Outcome :

A student is able to :

i. Relate depth to pressure in a liquid

ii. Relate density to pressure in a liquid
iii. Explain pressure in a liquid and state that P= gh
iv. Describe applications of pressure in liquids
v. Solve problems involving pressure in liquids

Vocabulary : Pressure , density , depth

Notes

a) Introduction

Liquids have pressure because of their weights.

For example, if you try to put your finger over the end of a tap when it is turned on, you
can feel the pressure of the water in the pipe. This is just caused by the weight of water
in the pipes all the way back up to the cold water in the loft. The force of gravity acts on
liquids, pulling them downwards into the container.

The pressure in a liquid is the product of depth, density and gravitational acceleration.

P= x x

The above formula can be derived from the following steps:

Mass of a cylinder of water, m = V =

Weight of the cylinder of water, W = .. = A h g

A cylinder of water

A
The pressure of water at the base of the cylinder of water is,

Volume h F W m g Ahg
V = Ah Water pressure, P = = = = = gh
A A A A
i) Relate depth to pressure in a liquid
ii) Relate density to pressure in a liquid

Factors affecting Pressure in liquids

i)

Liquid pressure increase with depth

EXPLANATION:

The pressure in a liquid is directly proportional to the depth.

ii)

Liquid pressure increase with density

Higher reading Lower reading

EXPLANATION:

The pressure in a liquid is directly proportional to the density of the liquid.

 i) Pressure exerted by a liquid is the same at any given depth below surface no
matter what its shape.
ii) Exerted equally in all directions

iv) Describe applications of pressure in liquids

Application Explanation
1) Blood transfusion

i) The bottle is hung at higher position

to increase the pressure in liquid

ii) So it has sufficient pressure to flow

into the vein of the patient
2)Public water supply system

i) The water from a river or dam is

pumped into a reservoir located at
higher elevation
ii)The reservoir is placed at an elevated location
so that the water will have
sufficient pressure to flow the
consumers located at lower levels
iii)Normally, every home has a water
tank above the roof for storage and
to provide a constant water pressure

3.Thick wall built in submarine i)The deeper the submarine submerge in

into the water, the greater the
pressure exerted

ii)Submarine is built with thick wall so

as to withstand enormous pressure at
greater depth.

Symbol : P = pressure , = density , g = gravitational acceleration ,

h = depth

Unit : Nm-2 , Pascal (Pa)

Formula : P=gh
Situation Related to Topic / Application

1. Dam

1. The wall of the dam is built thicker at the bottom to withstand a higher pressure.
2. The generator is placed at the lower part so that the pressure of the water is high enough to
drive the turbine.

2. Submarine

In deep sea, the pressure of the water is tremendously high. Hence the body of the
submarine is thick and built by strong material
3. Measuring Blood Pressure

When measuring blood pressure, the inflatable cuff of the sphygmomanometer should
be at the same level with the heart so that the pressure measured is equal to the blood
pressure of the heart.

4. Intravenous Transfusion

For intravenous transfusion (IV), the bottle is hung at an elevated position to ensure that
the liquid in the IV bottle gains sufficient pressure to flow into the vein of the patient.

5. Water Tower
 The water tower is built at high place so that the water has sufficient pressure to
flow to consumers house.

6. Public water supply system

Questions (Past Year)

Objective

1. Diagram 5 shows a cylinder containing cooking oil.

Diagram 5
Rajah 5

The density of cooking oil is 800 kg m-3. The pressure exerted by the cooking oil at
the base is 2.4 x 103 Pa. What is the height of oil in the container?

A 24 cm

B 30 cm

C 80 cm

D 2400 cm

KEL 2009

2. The diagram shows a cross section of a pool. The density of water in the pool is
1000 kg m-3.

What is the pressure exerted by the water at X ?

A. 2.5 x 102 Pa B. 2.5 X 103 Pa

C. 4.0 x 103 Pa D. 4.0 x 104 Pa
 SPM 2004

3. The pressure of sea water at the bottom of an ocean is 1.3 x 10 8 N m-2 .

What is the depth of the ocean ?
[Density of sea water = 1.02 x 103 kg m-3 ]

A. 1.27 x 104 m B. 1.27 x 105 m

C. 1.27 x 106 m D. 1.30 x 109 m

SPM 2006

2. The diagram shows a cylinder containing oil.

The density of the oil is 800 kg m-3. The pressure exerted by the oil at X is .

A. 400 Pa

B. 4 800 Pa

C. 8 000 Pa

D. 16 000 Pa

SPM 2003

3. The figure shows a polystyrene block being pushed to a depth of h cm from the
water surface. P is the water pressure acting on surface Q.

Which graph shows the relationship between P and h when the block is pushed
deeper into the water?
4. The figure shows three containers with different shapes filled with water with the
same level. The pressure caused by the water at point P , Q and R are P1 , P2 and P3
respectively.

Which comparison is correct?

A P1 > P2 > P3

B P1 < P2 < P3

C P1=P2 = P3

5. Diagram 10 shows a diver in the sea.

 Which physical quantity will increase when the diver dives deeper?

A. Pressure

B. Buoyant Force

C. Atmospheric pressure

D. Gravitational field strength

TRIAL MARA 2016

6. Equal masses of water are poured into four jars as shown. In which jar is the
pressure exerted by the water on the base the greatest?

Structure :

1. The figure shows a high tin with a length of 100 cm is filled to the full with water .

If the pressure caused by the water at point P is 8000 Pa, What is the value of L?
(Density of water = 1000 kg m - 3 )
3. Water with density of 1 g cm-3 and oil are filled into a U-tube. What is the density of
the oil ?
A B

Solution:

Pressure at A = Pressure at B Oil

12 cm 10 cm
Patm + h1 1 g = Patm + h2 2 g

20 cm

Water

1. Diagram 5.1 and Diagram 5.2 show two identical containers filled with water at a
different depth. When the tap is opened, water spurts out at different horizontal
distance due to the pressure exerted on the wall of the container.

a) What is the meaning of pressure ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[ 1 mark ]

b) Observe Diagram 5.1 and Diagram 5.2.

i) Compare the depth of the tap from the surface of the water.
 _____________________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]

ii) Compare the horizontal distance of the water spurting out.

_____________________________________________________________________________

[ 1 mark ]

iii) Relate the horizontal distance of the water spurting out to the
pressure of water at the tap.

____________________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]

iv) Relate the pressure in the water to the depth of the water.

_____________________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]

c) i) What happens to the horizontal distance of the water spurting out

in Diagram 5.2 when the lid of the container is opened?

____________________________________________________________________________
[ 1 mark ]

ii) Explain the answer in 5 c) i).

___________________________________________________________________________
[ 2 marks]

SBP 2012
5(a) 1 1

(b)(i) Diagram 5.2 > Diagram 5.1 // vice versa 1 1

(b)(ii) Diagram 5.2 > Diagram 5.1 // vice versa 1 1

(b)(iii) Pressure increases, horizontal distance increases 1 1

(b)(iv) Depth increases, pressure increases 1 1

(c)(i) Increases 1 1

(c)(ii) M1 Atmospheric pressure exerted at the surface of water 1

M2 Increases the water pressure 1

TOTAL 8M