If a dentist's chair weighs 1600 N and is raised by a large piston with cross sectional area 75.0 cm², what force must be exerted on a small piston of cross-sectional area 3.75 cm² to lift the chair?
Fluid Pressure
The term fluid pressure is coined as, the measurement of the force per unit area of a given surface of a closed container. It is a branch of physics that helps to study the properties of fluid under various conditions of force.
Gauge Pressure
Pressure is the physical force acting per unit area on a body; the applied force is perpendicular to the surface of the object per unit area. The air around us at sea level exerts a pressure (atmospheric pressure) of about 14.7 psi but this doesn’t seem to bother anyone as the bodily fluids are constantly pushing outwards with the same force but if one swims down into the ocean a few feet below the surface one can notice the difference, there is increased pressure on the eardrum, this is due to an increase in hydrostatic pressure.
![**Problem Statement:**
If a dentist’s chair weighs 1600 N and is raised by a large piston with a cross-sectional area of 75.0 cm², what force must be exerted on a small piston of cross-sectional area 3.75 cm² to lift the chair?
**Explanation:**
This physics problem is related to Pascal's Principle, which states that pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted undiminished in all directions throughout the fluid. By using pistons of different sizes, a small force can be transformed into a larger force.
To solve this, you can use the formula for pressure:
\[ \text{Pressure} (P) = \frac{\text{Force} (F)}{\text{Area} (A)} \]
Since the pressures are equal, you can equate the two:
\[ \frac{F_1}{A_1} = \frac{F_2}{A_2} \]
Where:
- \( F_1 \) is the force exerted by the smaller piston.
- \( A_1 \) is the area of the smaller piston (3.75 cm²).
- \( F_2 \) is the force exerted by the larger piston (1600 N).
- \( A_2 \) is the area of the larger piston (75.0 cm²).
Rearranging for \( F_1 \):
\[ F_1 = \frac{F_2 \times A_1}{A_2} \]
Plug in the given values to find the force needed on the small piston.](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2Fc463f08e-ec7e-4810-a9a2-5563bca4d00b%2F76551db0-555e-42ee-b3d1-3ea017e06101%2Fmvs9ozb_processed.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
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