Forces and Pressure in a Hydraulic System

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating forces and pressure in a hydraulic system using a hydraulic lift with a small piston diameter of 8.0 cm and a large piston diameter of 40 cm. The applied load is 15,000 N, and the force required on the small piston is determined to be 600 N. The pressure in the hydraulic fluid is calculated using the formula p=F/A, where the area is derived from the piston diameters. The correct unit for pressure is confirmed to be pascals (N/m²).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of hydraulic systems and Pascal's principle
  • Knowledge of basic geometry for calculating area
  • Familiarity with pressure units, specifically pascals
  • Ability to perform unit conversions (e.g., cm to m)
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the application of Pascal's principle in various hydraulic systems
  • Learn how to calculate the area of circles for piston diameters
  • Explore the relationship between force, area, and pressure in fluid mechanics
  • Investigate common errors in unit conversions and their impact on calculations
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Students studying physics, engineers working with hydraulic systems, and anyone interested in understanding fluid mechanics principles.

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Homework Statement


The small piston of a hydraulic lift has a diameter of 8.0 cm, and its large piston has a diameter of 40 cm. The lift raises a load of 15,000 N.

(a) Determine the force that must be applied to the small piston.

(b) Determine the pressure applied to the fluid in the lift.


Homework Equations



p=F/A

The Attempt at a Solution



I correctly solved for part a, and came up with an answer of 600 N. I'm a little unclear about how to obtain the answer for part b. My thought was that since pressure = F/A, I could simply take the pressure I found from part a, and divide by the area of the smaller piston, but I'm not getting the correct answer...

Thanks in advance!
 
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You're doing it correctly. Could the problem be one of units? Pressure is often stated in Newtons/meter^2 (i.e., pascals). Note that 8.0 cm = 0.08 m.
 
EDIT// I must have been making a calculation error. I figured it out.

Thank you!
 
Last edited:

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