Pressure & Area: Understanding Cars' Behavior

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Pressure on a car while driving is influenced by the area of contact with the air, as described by the formula P=F/A. A smaller surface area results in reduced aerodynamic drag, which means less force acting against the car's motion. At a constant speed, pressure remains relatively constant, indicating that as area decreases, the force of resistance also decreases. This relationship highlights the importance of vehicle design in optimizing performance. Understanding these dynamics can enhance driving efficiency and vehicle handling.
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Hi Iver been thinking lately about pressure dealing with cars. when driving i know there's a pressure acting on the car trying to push it back, but pressure depends on area so if the surface area on my car gets smaller will this be better or worse.

What I've been thinking is well
P=F/A as A goes to 0 P goes to infinity but that means the force is constant
or
As A decreases does the F and P stays the same
Im sorry there's no other way i could put it buts its been confusing me for a while

im neglecting friction, and making the mass of the car the same as well as the power of the car.
 
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welcome to pf!

hi arfm12009! welcome to pf! :smile:

at any particular speed, the pressure P is roughly constant,

so F/A is roughly constant, ie the smaller the area, the smaller the force of resistance :wink:
 
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