Understanding Pressure

What is Pressure?

•  Pressure is defined as a  perpendicular force acting on one unit area of a surface.    

                                               

•  The SI unit of pressure is Pascal (Pa).  1 Pa = 1 N/m² 

•  ^{The pressure exerted by a force on a surface depends on the force as well as the area of the surface. The pressure of a given force increases as the surface area decrease. Hence, the pressure at the base of a high-heeled shoe is greater than that of a flat shoe because the cross-sectional area of a high-heeled shoe is smaller.}
• ^{The force which is perpendicular to the surface is used to determine the pressure.} 

 ^{Applications of Pressure in Our Daily Life}

^{Reducing Area to Increase Pressure}

^{1. The area of the sharp edge of a knife's blade is extremely small. The high pressure thus produced from an applied force enables the knife to cut through material. 
2.The sole of a football boot has sharp studs which come into contact with the ground at a high pressure. This gives the player a better grip of the ground as he dribbles the ball.}

   

Increasing Area to Reduce Pressure 

1. Instead of normal wheels, tank have wheels which are covered with a track which increase the surface area. This enables the the heavy armoured vehicle to move on ground with less effort without sinking into the ground.
2. The large soles of snow shoes reduce the pressure on the snow in order to prevent the wearer from sinking.