17/04/2019

Pressure and Moments

 Pressure – some basic ideas
17/04/2019

Describe and draw experiments for each of the following

ideas:
1) Pressure increases with depth
2) Pressure is the same in all directions at a certain depth
 Pressure
17/04/2019

Explain how the following work:

1) A sharp knife is easier to use then a blunt knife

2) A drawing pin

3) A woman with stilettos on might damage a floor more

than an elephant would
 Pressure
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Pressure depends on two things:

1) How much force is applied, and
2) How big (or small) the area on which this force is
applied is.

Pressure can be calculated using the equation:

Pressure (in N/m2) = Force (in N) F

Area (in m2)

P A
OR in cm2 and N/cm2
 Some pressure questions
17/04/2019

1) Calculate the pressure exerted by a 1000N elephant

when standing on the floor if his feet have a total area
of 1m2.
2) A brick is rested on a surface. The brick has an area
of 20cm2. Its weight is 10N. Calculate the pressure.
3) A woman exerts a pressure of 100N/cm2 when standing
on the floor. If her weight is 500N what is the area of
the floor she is standing on?
4) (Hard!) The pressure due to the atmosphere is
100,000N/m2. If 10 Newtons are equivalent to 1kg how
much mass is pressing down on every square centimetre
of our body?
Some examples of pressure
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Gas Pressure
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Hydraulic systems
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 Hydraulic systems
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Pressure is constant throughout this liquid

 Levers
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Pivot

Effort

Load
3 types of lever 17/04/2019

Load is on other
side of pivot (e.g.
seesaw)

Load is “outside”
the effort, (e.g.
biceps)

Load is “inside” the

effort (e.g.
wheelbarrow)
 Moments 17/04/2019

A moment is a “turning force”, e.g. trying to open or close a

door or using a spanner. The size of the moment is given by:

Moment (in Nm) = force (in N) x distance from pivot (in m)

Calculate the following turning moments:

5 metres

100 Newtons

2 metres

200 Newtons
 Balancing moments 17/04/2019

2 metres 2 metres

200 Newtons 100 Newtons

Total ANTI-CLOCKWISE Total CLOCKWISE turning

turning moment = 200x2 = moment = 100x2 = 200Nm
400Nm

The anti-clockwise moment is bigger so the seesaw will

turn anti-clockwise
Balanced or unbalanced? 17/04/2019
 Stability
17/04/2019

1. Centre of mass is within

the wheelbase – no problem!

2. Centre of mass is directly above

the edge of the wheelbase –car is on
the point of toppling

3. Car falls over