What is Pressure: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Pressure (symbol: p or P) is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled gage pressure) is the pressure relative to the ambient pressure.
Various units are used to express pressure. Some of these derive from a unit of force divided by a unit of area; the SI unit of pressure, the pascal (Pa), for example, is one newton per square metre (N/m2); similarly, the pound-force per square inch (psi) is the traditional unit of pressure in the imperial and U.S. customary systems. Pressure may also be expressed in terms of standard atmospheric pressure; the atmosphere (atm) is equal to this pressure, and the torr is defined as 1⁄760 of this. Manometric units such as the centimetre of water, millimetre of mercury, and inch of mercury are used to express pressures in terms of the height of column of a particular fluid in a manometer.

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  1. S

    Mercury vapor from blood pressure devices

    I came across some articles about the health hazard from broken mercury-based sphygmomanometers. This led me to think about vapor leakage from good devices during normal operation. The top of the glass tube is at ambient atmospheric pressure. There is supposed to be a membrane at the top that...
  2. K

    I What is the Ideal Plasma Pressure for Successful Fusion?

    I am trying to wrap my head around the concepts in fusion. They talk about ion density, but I don't ever see that expressed in pascals, for instance. Why is that? I understand that confinment time is also important for successful fusion and that they go hand in hand, but I'm not concerned about...
  3. OriginalH1h

    Pressure Required to propel something a long distance

    I am making this (hopefully in the correct forum) because I started debating propulsion about objects and the like. The main two questions I want to have answered if at all possible are as follows: How much pressure would be needed to send a person flying? How much pressure is needed to...
  4. Fuux

    Sticky card Application of Bernoulli / Pressure incorrect?

    After doing what the instruction did, I noticed that the card stuck to the spool, and generated the hypothesis that it was the same effect as when putting two papers together and blowing through them, the lower pressure of the faster speed of the wind makes the higher pressure outside move the...
  5. S

    Compressed air pressure vs hydrostatic pressure

    Hi all, I'm new on here and will start off with what I think is a simple clarification. I'm questioning my workings due to previous work being completed by another engineer and thought this was the best place to ask. Essentially we have compressed air being supplied through a hose, the hose...
  6. S

    Calculate the Pressure that Shrink film exerts on a cylinder

    First off I am not sure if the equation is even suitable for solving this problem. Secondly, I have no idea how to determine the tension the shrink film can provide. Furthermore, I also think the radius of the film tube has a influence on the pressure, I guess in this problem the tube is...
  7. obstinatus

    Isothermal pressure change in a U-shaped tube

    Hi, just reviewing some thermodynamics from the textbook by Sears and Salinger, having a hard time conceptualizing this one. It's an isothermal change in pressure, so the volumes of the mercury and the air both change to reach equilibrium, but if it's a "good vacuum pump", then won't the right...
  8. fsonnichsen

    Sodium Vapor Lamps (low pressure) for spectral calibration and diffraction work

    Just curious if anyone out there is using the old low pressure sodium vapor lamps for spectral calibration and diffraction work. I was surprised that I do not see any bench ready laboratory lamps from the usual vendors. I understand that the last manufacturer of the low pressure bulbs, Philips...
  9. G

    Pump with intake and compression using different pressure ratios

    Lets say we got a larger cylinder-piston combo and a smaller one. First we move the larger cylinder, filling in with vacuum. Then we pump in air, using the smaller cylinder, isothermally, with variable expansion ratio. Here, we clearly have exp ratio > P_atm/P_final We then compress the larger...
  10. brotherbobby

    Gauge pressure due to a floating body

    My answer : Both pressures are equal, i.e. ##\boxed{P_A = P_B}##. Reason : (1) The block of wood displaces an amount (mass) of liquid equal to its weight (archimedes' principle for floating bodies, or law of floatation). Hence we can imagine removing the block in the second case and filling it...
  11. P

    Constant Pressure Specific Heat in terms of Entropy and Enthelpy

    If ##N## is constant (per the partial derivatives definitions/ the subscripts after the derivatives) then ##G## is constant ##H - TS = constant## Taking the derivative of both sides with respect to ##T## while holding ##N,P## constant we get the following with the use of the product rule...
  12. C

    Schematics of a high pressure water switch

    Does anyone have internal schematics (or illustration) how this thing work inside? Like how water flow can activate the conduction to the two wires connected? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU3KQCD/?tag=pfamazon01-20
  13. E

    Deriving the electrostatic pressure of a water droplet

    I assumed a uniform distribution of charge within the droplet such that ##E = \frac{q}{4\pi\epsilon_{0}r^{2}}## at the outside surface. I then said that the pressure acting at the surface would be the force on a charge element ##dq## within an area ##dA## on the surface, divided by the area...
  14. brotherbobby

    Gauge pressure of water oozing out of a pipe

    Assuming water to flow out of the pipe with the same speed as inside and the thickness of water column ##h_{ab} = h_{cd} = h##, my answer would be ##\mathbf{(P_b = P_c) > (P_a = P_d)}##. My reasoning is as follows : at positions ##a\; \text{and}\; d## the gauge pressure is 0 and the total...
  15. Thijske

    How to calculate the pressure of an explosion?

    Say there's 2 grams of gasoline (vapor) (E85) and sufficient air, how can you calculate the force/pressure of the explosion when this mixture is ignited? The pressure of the mixture before ignition is 400 pascal. The calorific value of the fuel is 45 MJ/kg. The volume in which the explosion...
  16. brotherbobby

    Pressure due to two liquids in a U-tube

    (a) Situation (2) is my answer (which cannot be in static equilibrium). The pressures in the lower dashed line (##P_2##) has to be the same on either side (for equilibrium). That means the pressure due to the red liquid is equal to the pressure due to the same length of air column (length)...
  17. ib43

    Thermal physics problem -- Pressure and temperature of air in a refrigerator

    There is this one problem from past exam papers which I cannot seem to do: The air in a kitchen has pressure 1.0 x 10^5 Pa and temperature 22'C. A refrigerator of internal volume 0.36 m^3 is installed in the kitchen. (a) With the door open the air in the refrigerator is initially at the same...
  18. C

    Maintaining higher air pressure in an "open" leaky container

    Hey all, I've got a container that needs to maintain a certain amount of air pressure for the contents inside to develop correctly. However, it is an open container (like a big box with a hole in it), so without a pump constantly pushing air into it, it will rapidly drop pressure to equalize...
  19. T

    Is cavitation worse at depth? (Fluid pressure and Vapor pressure boiling)

    I am wondering about the impact of the hydro static pressure of a fluid on its boiling point. The simplest real world example scenario I can think of is the rate/onset of cavitation at a large depth vs a shallow depth. As we increase the submarine propellor speed to a speed where the adjacent...
  20. R

    Could pressure washers solve the Australia bushfires problem?

    The JetLev water pack puts out about 60 psi but can lift a 400 pound weight 30 feet in the air. A lot of water can be provided by just those water jet pack units, 1,000 gallons per minute, providing 400 pounds of force, all of that powered by a 200 hp pump that trails behind remaining in the...
  21. bigyabbie

    Plumbing Compressed air powered water pressure

    Hi there, I have a few interesting problems that I have been exploring for a while now, but i quickly get beyond my level of knowledge of physics, so wondered if members of this Forum may be able to assist. One of the projects that we have been trying to solve is how to maintain a decent quality...
  22. vxiaoyu18

    Keep working on the liquid pressure problem

    Without calculating the friction, if the force of gravity on the piston, the initial force F on the piston S is what? 1. F=-ρgSH; 2. F=-(1/2)ρgSH; 3. F=0; 4. Other. I'm not sure which is the correct result, can someone help me analyze it again?
  23. Ayrflyer

    Need help trying to mimic a phenomenon associated with air pressure

    Good day everyone, Hope all is well. Bare with me as I am beginner in the field of understanding air pressure. But could really use help with a certain phenomena that I have been observing with an experiment I have had success with. I am then attempting to build an apparatus that mimics its...
  24. D

    Accounting for Liquid Water Density in Ideal Gas Pressure Calculations

    First calculate the total pressure, but that gives me p2=p1*t2/t1 = 2,86 bar and partial pressure of 0,87 bar which is wrong. any tips?
  25. B

    Density of air at one atmosphere pressure

    How would I tackle a problem like this? I made a start by writing down the ideal gas equation and then done some manipulation on both sides to get the density expression of the ideal gas. I'm not sure if this is what the question wants as I'm dealing with 2 different types of gases in the same...
  26. T

    Calculating the Pressure at a Reservoir

    Summary:: Calculating the Pressure at a Reservoir Hello all I am struggling to calculate the pressure at a given point, i am getting all sort of strange answers and i was hoping someone could help. The question is as follows:- From this i have tried to draw a sketch of the problem (not...
  27. T

    What is Pressure Energy & How to Calculate it?

    Hello all I was hoping i could pick someones brain regarding Pressure Energy. I was given the following piece of information that describes the Pressure Energy equation:- However i am not certain what each term means? Would it be correct to state:- Pressure Energy = Fluid Density * Area *...
  28. Vivek98phyboy

    Excess pressure inside a Liquid drop

    While studying about the effects of surface tension i came across the excess pressure inside a liquid drop. Here they considered a hemisphere ABCDE from the drop and listed out the conditions for it to be in equilibrium. The forces acting on them are taken as F1= 2πRS F2= P1×(Projection...
  29. Uchida

    Does radiation pressure depend on the wave phase?

    Hello to all, Does radiation pressure depends on the wave phase of the electromagnetic wave hitting a surface? Or, can the radiation pressure be modeled as a sin/cos wave function, where force due to radiation pressure F = P/c would be the average over one cycle? (P = power, c = light speed...
  30. T

    Difference between Absolute and Gauge Pressure

    Hello all I was wondering someone could help clear up my understanding about the difference between Absolute and Gauge Pressure. After some reading i have been told that the Absolute Pressure is pressure taken at 0 relative to a vacuum. I am trying to understand what this actually means...
  31. carveranderson

    Pressure vessel made with a metal tube and a clear polycarbonate lid

    The tube I'm using is 6" long, 6" diameter and .5" wall thickness and made of 6061 aluminum. The bottom is a 6" diameter, 3/8" thick MIC6 Cast Aluminum Disc. The top I TRIED is a 6" diameter, 1/2" thick clear polycarbonate disc. Both top and bottom are bolted on with a 1/16" buna-n o-ring and...
  32. T

    Impact of Atmospheric Pressure on the Water in a Tank and a Pipe

    Hello all I was hoping someone could help with understanding how fluids level out under atmospheric pressure. For example:- Below is a picture of a tank of water with a closed door at the bottom, the door leads to an inclined pipe that is closed off at the end there is another pipe connected...
  33. Aletag

    Work done BY the gas in a cyclic thermodynamic process

    Since the assignment asks the work done by the gas, that should be equal to P1*(V2-V1) aka the area under the P1 line. Do I have to subtract the work done to the system or is this the solution already? If so, why do I need P2?
  34. D

    Isothermal process involving changes in Volume and Pressure

    P1 = 2 bar V1 = 5.1L P2= 1bar V2 = V1P1/P2 = 10,2L, so the volume of gas would double? or should the absolute pressure be taken into account P1= 2bar (3bar absolute), V1=5.1L P2= 1 bar V2 = 15,3L?
  35. X

    Measure flow rate with a manometer (pressure gauge)

    Hello! I have a volume of 50 liters which I pressurize with air so that I read 1 bar on the manometer. But there is a leakage in the volume so after 30 sec the manometer shows 0,5 bar. What is then the air flow ( liter / min) of the leakage?
  36. E

    Confused about use of external vs internal pressure in thermodynamics

    I've learned that ##W = -\int{P_{ext} dV}##, and only during a reversible/quasi-static process where ##P_{int} = P_{ext}## can we write the work done on the gas in terms of the internal pressure (and consequently use ##PV=nRT## etc. which apply to the internal gas). However, a lot of sources...
  37. A

    High pressure gas discharge fusion

    I thought to myself , have there any been any physical attempts or calculations in theory about the possibility of creating a net electrical gain of energy from a pulsed fusion approach where a high pressure/density gas mixture is prepared constantly within a container and a high current pulse...
  38. T

    Engineering Understanding Force / Pressure Equation

    Hello all I am trying to understand the pressure equation. I have the following question:- I understand this, to me what this says to me is the total force acting on the wall as a result of the water of 12m is 706320 Pascals.This is where I get a little confused, I have the following...
  39. Emanuel Silva

    Pressure generated by a column of air

    Applying Bernoulli, Does the term ρ*g*h matters ? I am trying to select a fan
  40. C

    Combine 3 Eqns for Plasma in a Solenoid

    ∇p=j×B (eq. 1) K=nI BSolenoid=μnI⇒μK (eq. 2) ∇p=-2p0r/(a2) (eq. 3) Combining these three equations: j=-2p0r/(a2μK) (θ hat direction) Feel like this is too simple and might be missing a step any help would be much appreciated!
  41. F

    Is Voltage a measurement of pressure?

    Summary: Volts When measuring an electrical currents voltage, are you actually measuring the pressure emitted in electricity
  42. F

    What Happens When You Dive Too Deep?

    Hello, Human breath the following way: air at ambient pressure is pushed into the lungs during the inhaling phase because the air pressure inside the lungs is lower than ambient pressure: ##p_{inside}<p_{outside}##. During the exhaling phase, the air pressure inside the lungs becomes instead...
  43. TOMMiB

    The Pressure in Interstellar Space.

    n = 11000 because n = N/V and V = 1m^3. Using P = nRT/V I get that P = 7.32x10^6 Pa. considering that the gas is in a high vacuum, this value seems far too high to be true. Please help?
  44. Kaushik

    Pressure on a sample of fluid (at rest)

    Question 1 Consider a sample at a height ##ℎ## below the interface of air and the fluid. The pressure on the sample is given by ##𝑃_𝑎=𝑃_{𝑎𝑡𝑚}+𝜌𝑔ℎ##. My question is does 𝑃𝑎 include the pressure due to the particles that are to the side of the sample? Question 2 Now consider this setup. In this...
  45. B

    Can increasing the speed of light lead to more efficient photon rockets?

    Radiation pressure that light provides is weak. The photon rocket only gives thrust on par with rockets if you are willing to exhaust way more energy than normally used for rocketry (antimatter/matter annihilation). By that time your exhaust beam will be loaded with enough photons to nuke...
  46. F

    Why is static pressure called "static"?

    Hello, I am still perplexed on why the pressure term ##p## in Bernoulli and Euler equations is called "static", even if the fluid is flowing (moving). Are there historical or other specific reasons? In hydrostastics, the pressure at a certain depth is called hydrostatic which makes sense since...
  47. sebastian281172

    Pressure applied to the ground by a man standing on stilts

    Homework Statement: How much pressure is applied to the ground by a 52 kg man who is standing on square stilts that measure 0.06 m on each edge? Homework Equations: p=(F/A) P = (F/A) = (52*9.81)/(.06^2) = 207100
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