Question

How to find pressure

Answer 1

We are asked how to calculate pressure. Pressure is defined as the variation of a force with respect to the area of a surface, therefore, the pressure is the derivative of the force with respect to area, this is written as:

`P=(dF)/(dA)`

Where:

`\begin{gathered} P=\text{ pressure} \\ F=\text{ force} \\ A=\text{ area} \end{gathered}`

If the force acts on the center of mass of a given area then the derivative converts into an algebraic formula and we simply need to divide the force by the area, like this:

`P=(F)/(A)`

Therefore, pressure is the force per unit area of a given surface.

If the pressure is calculated inside a static liquid or gas then it can be expressed as a function of the depth from the surface of the liquid using the following formula:

`P=\rho gh`

Where:

`\begin{gathered} \rho=\text{ density} \\ g=\text{ acceleration of gravity } \\ h=\text{ height from the surface of the liquid. } \end{gathered}`