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Forces

Pressure in fluids, and the force on a surface

  • 2 things to know
  • Paper 3

Overview

Why an inflated balloon holds a rounded shape, why wide snowshoes stop a walker sinking into deep snow and how a hydraulic system multiplies a force.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is meant by a fluid?

Key term

Explain why an inflated balloon holds a rounded shape.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by a fluid?

    Model answer

    A substance that can flow, which means a liquid or a gas.

  2. 2

    Explain, in terms of particles, how a gas exerts pressure on a surface.

    Model answer

    Its particles are constantly colliding with the surface and each collision exerts a small force, and together these collisions produce the pressure.

  3. 3

    In which direction does the net force produced by the pressure in a fluid act on a surface?

    Model answer

    At right angles to that surface.

  4. 4

    Does the pressure in a fluid act in only one direction?

    Model answer

    No, it acts in all directions, but the net force it produces on any given surface is at right angles to that surface.

  5. 5

    Describe the force that a gas sealed inside a container exerts on the container walls.

    Model answer

    It pushes outwards on every wall, at right angles to each wall.

  6. 6

    Explain why an inflated balloon holds a rounded shape.

    Model answer

    The gas inside pushes at right angles to the rubber at every point on the inside surface, so the skin is pushed outwards evenly all over.

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