Question

Hurricanes are especially destructive because of the abrupt decrease in air pressure that they bring with the winds. Consider a house which is airtight, and has a pressure of 1.02 atm when a hurricane hits. Outside, external air pressure quickly falls to 0.91. What net force (directed outwards) is exerted on a 1.63 m by 1.63 m window on the house? (Answer should be in SI units, rounded off to nearest whole number).

Answer 1

2.96 × 10^4 N

Step-by-step explanation:

1 atm = 101325 N/m², pressure inside the airtight room = 1.02 atm, pressure outside due to hurricane = 0.91 atm

net pressure directed outward = P inside - P outside

net pressure = 1.02 - 0.91 = 0.11 atm

where 1 atm = 101325N/m²

0.11 atm = 0.11 × 101325 N/m² = 11145.75 N/m²

area of the square wall = l × l where l is the length of the wall in meters = 1.63 × 1.63 = 2.6569

net pressure = net force / area

make net force subject of the formula

net force = net pressure × area = 11145.75 × 2.6569 = 2.96 × 10 ^4 N