LESSON 3.

1
Understanding

Definition and the S.I unit of

Pressure (P) Application of pressure

Pressure is defined as the force acting (1) The surface area of the head of
normally on a unit of surface area. thumbtack is large but the cross-
Or sectional area of tip of the
@ Pressure = Normal force thumbtack is small. The high
Area pressure of the tip causes the
@ P = F thumbtack to go into the wood
A easily.
P = Pressure F = Force A = Surface (2) A lady’s high heel shoe with a
area small base exerts a higher
pressure than a man shoe with a
The S.I. of pressure is Nm-2 or pascal flat base.
(Pa) (3) A smaller area of the edge of knife
causes the knife can cut and
Example 1 penetrates hard materials.
(4) Walking over deep snow is difficult
On a table is a full box of groceries which and tiring because your feet sink
has a weight of 160 N. The area of the at every steps. Skies or snowshoes
base of the box is 0.2 m2 . What is the make it much easier because they
pressure between the box and the table stop you from sinking in. The skies
top? causes the pressure becomes
smaller.
(5) The sole of an ice is fixed a narrow
Solution metal bar. The high pressure on
surface of the ice so that the ice
melts and allowing the ice skater
to glide smoothly .
(6) Racing bicycles need very high air
pressure inside the tyres, because
the narrow tyres have a very small
Example 2 contact area with the road. The
hard road surface can support the
A metal block with the dimensions of high pressure under the wheels.
0.05 m x 0.10 m x 0.20 m is placed on a (7) Heavy vehicles which travel over
floor. If the mass of the metal block is soft ground need very wide tyres.
0.5 kg , what is This provides a large contact area
(a) the maximum pressure and and a lower pressure against the
(b) the minimum pressure ground and prevents them sinking
that can exerted by the metal block in.
on the floor
(8) A high building possesses a huge
surface so that the lower pressure
Solution
acting on it prevents the building
from sinking into the ground.
(9) Studs on the soles of a pair of
football give the player a better

1
 grip of the ground as he dribbles C the low pressure between the
the or running on the field . edge of the metal bar and the ice
(10) An elephant is able to move on freezes
soft ground or mud because the D the high pressure between the
large area of its feet reduces the edge of the metal bar and the ice
pressure on the ground. freezes

4 A wooden block with the

dimensions of 3 m x 4 m x 5 m is
placed on a floor. If the mass of the
metal block is 400 kg , what is the
maximum pressure that can exerted
by the metal block on the floor?
A 100 N m- 2 B 200 N m -2
C 333 N m D 480 N m -2 E 620
-2

Nm- 2

5 The mass of a boy is 60 kg. The

pressure exerted by the boy on a
floor is 2 x 10 4 Pa. What is the area
of contact between the shoe’s base
of the boy and the floor.
A 1.2 x 10 –2 m-2 B 3.0 x 10-2
TUTORIA m-2
L1 C 4.5 x 10-2 m-2 D 6.0 x 10-2
1 1 Pa is equivalent to m-2
A 1 N m2 B 1 m N-2 E 8.0 x 10-2 m-2
C 1Nm -2
D 1 m N2
6 The figure shows a school bag.
2 Figure shows a wooden block on a
horizontal surface. The block will
exert maximum pressure on a
horizontal surface if it is resting on
its face
What is the function of x?

A to increase weight and to

increase pressure
B to increase surface area and to
decrease pressure
C to decrease weight and to
decrease pressure
D to decrease surface area and to
A STUV B TWXU increase weight
C WXY Z D UVXY
7 The mass of a tractor is 4000 kg. The
3 An ice skater is able to glide area of contact between a tractor’s
smoothly across the surface of the tyre and the soft ground is 0.5 m2.
ice because The tractor has four tyres.
A the low pressure between the (a) Calculate
edge of the metal bar and the ice (i) the total area of contact
melts between the tractor’s tyre
B the high pressure between the and the soft ground.
edge of the metal bar and the ice
melts

2
 (ii) the pressure exerted by the
tractor on the soft ground. …………………………………………........……
(b) Explain why the difference of the
observations occur?
(b) Explain why a car cannot moves
on the soft ground although the …….
mass of the car is less than the ………………………………………………
mass of the tractor?

..................................................... …………………………………………………….
..............
(c) Relate your answers in(a) and (b) to
..................................................... deduce the a concept in physics.
..............
(c) What happens to the area of …….
contact between the tractor’s ………………………………………………
tyre and the soft ground if the air
pressure inside the tyres is
decreased? …………………………………………………….
(d) A man wearing snowshoes applies a
..................................................... pressure
............ of 2500 Pa . If the area covered by
a snowshoe
..................................................... is 0.15 m2,what is the mass of the
.............. man?
8 Figure (a) shows two different
situations of a woman wearing a high
heel shoes and then wearing a flat
shoes.
Figure(b) shows two different 9 Figure(a) and Figure(b) show two
situations of a skier without wearing ways in which a gardener moves a
snow shoes and then wearing wheelbarrow on a muddy road.
snowshoes.

Figure(a)

Figure(a) Figure(b)

(a) On Figure(a) and Figure(b)

Figure(b) ,indicate and label:
(a) Observe the Figure (a) and Figure (b) (i) the direction of force F
,state two observations about the exerted by the gardener on
surface area contact , the depth of the handle of each
sinking and the force involved. wheelbarrow to make it
……. move.
………………………………………………
(ii) the direction of the vertical
component Fy , of the force in
………………………………………………… (a)(i)

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 (b) (i) Based on the answers in (a) Figure(b) shows two conditions a
(i) and handwriting by using a pencil
(a)(ii), which of the ways is before and after it is sharpen.
more suitable on the muddy
road?
………………………………………
……

………………………………………
……

(ii) Explain the reason for your Figure(a)

answer in (b)(i).

…………………………………………..
Figure(b)
(c) The wheel of the wheelbarrow
exerted pressure on the muddy
(a) Observe the Figure (a) and
road . The resultant force
Figure (b).
exerted by the wheel on the road
(b) Compare the depth of sinking
surface is 500 N and the area of
the pencil in the plasticine, the
the wheel in contact with the
conditions of the pencil ,the load
road is 2 x 10-3 m2.
and the conditions of the
(i) What does the word pressure
handwriting.
mean?
Relate the comparisons to
deduce a
concept in physics .
…………………………………………

……………………………………
……
(b) Explain why a footballer likes
(ii) Calculate the pressure
Ronaldinho
exerted on the surface of the
wearing a football boot has
muddy road.
sharp studs?

12 Figure below shows a tractor and a

car moving
(iii) State one modification that
on the same surface of the muddy
could be made to the
road.
wheelbarrow to reduce the
pressure exerted on the road.
Explain your answer.

……………………………………..

……………………………………..
Observe the depth of sinking of the
11 Figure(a) shows two situations of a
tractor’s
pencil with a load is placed on the
and the car’s tyres.
top of the pencil sinking into a
Based on the observations:
plasticine before and after it is
sharpen (a) State one suitable
inference that can be made.

4
 (b) State one appropriate
hypothesis for an
investigation.
(c) With the use of apparatus
such as plasticine, wooden
rod and other apparatus ,
describe an experimental
framework to test your
hypothesis.
In your description , state
clearly the following:
(i) Aim of the experiment
(ii) Variables in the
experiment
(iii) List of apparatus and
materials
(iv) Arrangement of the
apparatus
(v) The procedure of the
experiment which
include the
method of controlling
the
manipulated variable
and the
method of measuring
the
responding variable.
(vi) Way you would
tabulate the
data
(vii) Way you would
analysis the
data