Question

An industrial thermometer is heated until the mercury inside it is exerting 400 N of force against the inner surface. That surface has a total area of 200 cm². How much pressure is the mercury exerting against the inner surface of the thermometer? Note that 1 Pa = 1 N/m².

A) 2 Pa
B) 4 Pa
C) 6 Pa
D) 8 Pa

Answer 1

The pressure exerted by the mercury against the inner surface of the thermometer is 2 Pa.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the pressure exerted by the mercury against the inner surface of the thermometer, we can use the formula:

Pressure = Force / Area

Given that the force exerted by the mercury is 400 N and the area of the inner surface is 200 cm², we can calculate:

Pressure = 400 N / 200 cm² = 2 N/cm²

However, the SI unit for pressure is the Pascal (Pa), so we need to convert the units:

1 cm² = 0.0001 m²

Therefore, the pressure exerted by the mercury is 2 N/cm² * 0.0001 m²/cm² = 0.0002 N/m² = 0.0002 Pa

So the correct answer is A) 2 Pa.