Question

In a hydraulic system, piston 1 has a surface area of 100 cm2, and piston 2 has a surface area of 900 cm2. A force of 150 N is exerted on piston 1 of the hydraulic lift. What force will be exerted on piston 2?

Answer 1

From Pascal's law, we can say that the pressure exerted by piston 1 on the fluid will be transmitted with equal intensity to piston 2:

`p_1 = p_2` (1)

The relationship between the pressure applied p, the force applied F and the surface A is

`p= (F)/(A)`

So we can rewrite (1) as

`(F_1)/(A_1)= (F_2)/(A_2)`
And from this, we can find the magnitude of the force exerted on piston 2, F2:

`F_2 = A_2 (F_1)/(A_1)=(900 cm^2) (150 N)/(100 cm^2)=1350 N`