Fluids & Pressure

Chapter 7 Section 1
Objectives:
• Describe how fluids exert pressure

• Analyze how atmospheric pressure varies with

depth

• Explain how depth and density affect water

pressure

• Give examples of fluids flowing from high to low

pressure
 Refresher on Gas Laws:
• Charles Law: If the pressure does not change,
the volume of a gas will increase as the
temperature increases

• Boyle’s Law: If the temperature does not

change, the pressure of a gas will increase as the
volume decreases

http://mw.concord.org/modeler1.3/mirror/chemistry/piston.gif
Vocabulary:
• Fluid

• Pressure

• Pascal (Pa)

• Atmospheric pressure
Fluid:
• Any material that can flow and that takes the
shape of its container

• Liquids and gases

• Particles move quickly past each other

Fluids Exert Pressure:
• Air pressure, water pressure (air and water are
fluids)

• Pressure: the amount of force exerted on a given

area

• Calculating pressure: Pressure = force ÷ area

• SI unit: pascal (1Pa = 1N/m²)

Math Focus:
• Textbook page 181

• Pressure, force, area

• Now its your turn…#1, #2…

Pressure & Bubbles:

• Fluids exert pressure evenly in all directions

• When you blow a bubble, it spreads out in all

directions to create a sphere
Atmospheric Pressure:
• The pressure caused by the weight of the
atmosphere

• It is exerted on everything on Earth, including us!

• At sea level: 101,300Pa; 10N (~2lbs) on every square

cm of your body

• Fluids in your body exert pressure, so you don’t feel

this atmospheric pressure
 Atmospheric Pressure:

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/images/spacesuit_pressure.jpg
Variation in Atmospheric Pressure:
• 150km above the Earth’s surface pressure is
okPa

• 80% of gases are found within the first 10km

• At the top, pressure ~ 0 Pa

• Gas particles are far apart at top

Atmospheric Pressure and Depth:
• Pressure increases as you approach the surface
of the Earth (as the atmosphere gets “deeper”)

• Fluids: pressure varies according to depth

Pressure Changes & Your Body:
• Fluids in your body have to adjust to maintain
equal pressure as the outside pressure changes

• “Popping” in your ears when you are in an

airplane or driving up a mountain side
Water Pressure:
• Water exerts pressure like air in the atmosphere
does

• Pressure increases as depth increases

• There more water above, the higher the pressure

• The atmosphere also pulls down on the water

(total pressure is atmospheric + water pressure)
 Water
Pressure:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/F_Oceans_K-4.html
Water Pressure & Depth:
• Depends on depth, not the amount of fluid
present

• A swimmer 3m below the surface in a pool

experiences the same pressure a person 3m
below in the ocean does

• A diver feels twice the pressure at 10m than at

the surface
Depth by the numbers:
• 500m below the surface = 5,000kPa (pressure
suits required)

• Wreck of the Titanic 3,660m below = 36,600kPa

• Viper fish live 8,000m below = 80,000kPa

• Trieste (1960) went to 11,000m = 110,000kPa

Density Making a Difference:
• Water is about 1,000x more dense than air!

• Density = the amount of matter in a given

volume

• d=m÷v

• Ex: Climb a 10m tree or dive 10m underwater…

which experiences more pressure??
Pressure Differences & Fluid Flow:
• Fluids flow from an area of high pressure to an
area of low pressure

• Ex: drinking from a straw

▫ How do you decrease the pressure inside the
straw?
▫ By removing some of the air inside the straw by
sucking air in
Pressure Differences & Breathing:
• Breathing:
▫ Inhale: chest cavity expands, pressure decreases
▫ Air rushes in from high pressure (outside) to lower
pressure inside
▫ Exhale: chest cavity contraction, pressure increase
▫ Air rushes out from an area of high pressure to lower
pressure (outside the body)
Pressure Differences & Tornadoes:
• Air pressure inside a tornado is very low

• Air rushes into the tornado, acting like a giant

vacuum cleaner

• Objects get pushed into the tornado resulting in

destruction
Quick Quiz:

• What do liquids and solids have in common?

• Why does pressure increase with depth?