Force and Pressure

Force: Push or Pull

A table can be moved from one place to another by either pushing it or pulling it.
Similarly, you can open a door by either pushing or pulling it. When a ball is thrown with
more force, it travels a longer distance. The shape of a bottle can change when it is
squeezed. Also, the direction of a moving ball can change by striking it.

Have you wondered how the shape of a bottle changes when squeezed? Or how
can the direction of a moving ball change by kicking it in different ways?

All the above activities can be associated with pushing or pulling. Therefore, whenever
an object is moved, we can say that it has either been pushed or pulled.

This push or pull is known as force. In other words, a body moves whenever a force
is applied to it. Therefore, a body cannot move unless a force is applied.

Apart from push or pull, force is any action that has the tendency to change the
position, shape, or size of an object. Everyday actions such as pushing, pulling,
stretching, lifting, squeezing, and twisting are also examples of force.

Let us try to list some examples of everyday force and see if we can classify them as
push or pull. A few examples have already been classified for you. Try to classify the
rest.

Description Push or Pull

 Hitting a cricket ball with a bat Push

Opening a door Push and Pull

Plucking a flower Pull

Flying a kite

Moving a wheel barrow

Hitting a tennis ball with a racquet

Taking a carrot out of the ground

Playing on a swing

Picking up a shopping bag

Squeezing a toothpaste tube

Interaction of Forces

Unit of Force

Do you require equal amount of force to lift your physics book and a bucket full of
water? Definitely not! You require greater force to lift the bucket. Can you tell how much
more force is required to lift the bucket?

For that, we have to measure the forces. Thus, we require some unit to describe the
amount of force.

The SI (International System of Units) unit of force is Newton, which is denoted by

N.

You must have heard the term kilogram force (kgf). It is the commonly used unit of
force and is defined as the force that is required to lift a mass of 1 kg vertically
upward.

Do you know what the relation between the two units of force is?
 1 kgf = 10 N

Therefore, you can easily define 1 N. Just try it.

Interactions of Forces

Have you ever seen an arm wrestling

match? In an arm wrestling match, both the
players try to push each other’s hand towards
the table. Hands move along the direction of the
player who applies a greater force. The player
who is able to apply more force wins the match.

A table in your room or a vehicle parked outside your house cannot move unless it is
either pushed or pulled. To move a table, you have to either push or pull it. In cricket, a
bat exerts force on the ball. Thus, the ball is able to gain speed and can reach the
boundary line.

Thus, we can observe that force comes into play when at least two bodies interact with
each other. Can you list the two interacting bodies in the cases that we have
discussed?
Scenario Interacting bodies
Arm wrestling Arms of the players
Pushing or pulling a table You and the table
A moving vehicle Vehicle and the road (or the ground)
Bat hitting a ball Bat and ball

In a game of tug of war, two teams try to pull each other

towards themselves. This game is won by the team,
which applies more force in their direction. Thus, the net
resultant force is in their direction.

Balanced and unbalanced forces in a body

 A metal spring having two ends M and N are placed
on a table.

When you pull the end M of the spring, it will move

towards the left and when you pull the end N of the
spring, it will move towards the right. What will
happen if you simultaneously pull both ends of
the spring with the same force?

The spring will stretch and its shape and size will change, but it will not move because
the net force acting on it is zero.

What will happen if two unequal forces are applied at the two ends of the spring?

When unbalanced forces are applied at the ends of the spring, it will start moving in the
direction of the greater force. Hence, the net force is not zero in this case.

A toy car is pushed on a rough floor and is allowed to move. It moves some distance
and comes to rest. Why does the toy car come to rest?

The toy car comes to rest after some time because of the frictional force between the
moving wheels of the car and the rough floor. This force acts in the direction opposite to
the direction of motion of the car. This means that an unbalanced force acts on the car
in the direction opposite to the direction of motion of the car.

As a result, it will come to rest after some time. Hence, in order to keep the toy car
moving, one should push it again before it comes to rest.

An unbalanced force can stop a moving object.

An object moves with a uniform velocity when no net external force is acting on it i.e.,
the forces acting on it are balanced.

What will happen if you try to push a table on a rough floor?

The result of the applied force will depend on the magnitude of the force applied on the
table.
 The figure given above shows the various forces acting on the table.

Where,

F1 → Magnitude of the applied force

F2 → Frictional force caused by the rough surfaces in contact

It is clear from the figure that the frictional force F2 opposes the applied force whereas
force F1 tends to overcome the frictional force. The table will not move, if you apply a
small force. However, if you apply a force that is greater than the frictional force, then
the table will move in the direction of the applied force.

Thus, from the above observations, we can conclude as follows

• If many forces act on a body in the same direction, the net force on the body is equal to
the sum of all the forces.

• If two forces are acting on a body on opposite direction, the net force on the body is
equal to the difference of the two forces. For the above example of table being pushed
on a rough floor, the net force on the table = F1 −-F2, when table is moving. If the table
is not moving, the net force on the table = F2 −- F1.

Effects of Force

Force cannot be seen, heard, or tasted. Only its effects can be felt or seen. It is
correctly defined as a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction
with another object. The various effects of force are:

It can move a body initially at rest.

It can bring a moving body to rest.

It can change the direction of a moving body.

It can change the speed of a moving body.

It can change the shape of a body.

 It can change the size of a body.

Let us take an example of a football lying in a field. When a player hits the ball, it starts
moving, i.e., it starts moving only when we apply force. Thus, force can move a body
initially at rest.

Now, if the goalkeeper catches the moving ball, then it comes to rest. The goalkeeper
applies a force to stop the moving ball. Hence, we can say that force can bring a moving
body to rest.

If another player kicks the moving ball in the opposite direction, then it starts moving in
the direction towards which it is kicked i.e. the direction of the football changes. The
player applies force on the football to change its direction. Hence, force can change the
direction of a moving body. Also, if the player hits the ball hard, then the net speed of
the ball will also change. Hence, the speed of a moving body can be changed by
applying force.

The shape of a deflated football can be changed by inflating it. When you inflate a
football, you apply force on the pump. Hence, force can change the shape of an object.
Also, if you keep inflating the football, then its size will keep on increasing. Hence, force
can change the size of an object.
 A deflated football Force can change the shape of Force can change the size of
an object an object

Moment of Force and Couple

To move a body from a state of rest, a force is needed. Similarly, a couple of forces are
needed to rotate a body about an axis. Have you ever imagined why a door has its
handle at one end and not in the middle? The concept of moment of a force.

Moment of force (Torque)

The given figure shows a wrench and a nut. When a force, F, is applied to the handle of
the wrench, the nut turns in a direction as shown in the given diagram.

It is interesting to note that the greater the distance between the nut and the point of
application of force (denoted by D in the figures), the easier it will be to turn the nut.

Therefore, the turning of the nut depends on two factors:

i. The greater the applied force F, the more easily the nut can be turned.

ii. The greater the distance D, the more easily the nut can be turned.

It is clear from these points that the turning effect can be increased either by
increasing F or by increasing D (distance between the nut and the point of application of
force F)

On account of these points, we define a quantity called torque.

Torque (τ) = Force (F) × Perpendicular distance (D)

Torque represents the turning force acting on an object. It can be either clockwise or
anticlockwise, depending upon how the force is applied. The given figures show
clockwise as well as anticlockwise torque.

A clockwise torque tends to turn an object in the clockwise direction. Similarly, an

anticlockwise torque tends to turn an object in the anticlockwise direction.

Torque is also known as moment of force.

Unit of torque

Torque (τ) = Force (F) × Perpendicular distance (D)

Since the unit of force is newton (N) and the unit of distance is metre (m), the unit of
torque is Nm (newton-metre).

Now, you have understood that a door has the handle at the extreme end but not in the
middle because, to produce the same torque on the door, less force is to be applied at
the point of application of force that is farthest from the hinge.

Couple
When two equal and opposite forces act on a body and their lines of action do not
coincide, then the body will not move but rotate about the given axis, e.g., a tap that is
being opened or closed.

Definition of couple
A couple is said to be acting on a system or body when it is under two equal and
opposite forces with different lines of action.

A couple of forces are acting on the rod.

You must have seen several examples. Some of them are as follows.
(i) When you have to open the lid of a bottle, you have to apply a couple of forces
tangentially on it in order to rotate the lid and open the bottle.

(ii) When two strings are tied to a wheel, and two equal and opposite forces are exerted
tangentially on the wheel, the wheel tends to rotate.

Here, we can also see that the two equal and opposite forces act in such a way that
their lines of action do not coincide.

Thrust and Pressure

Thrust and Pressure: An Overview

Thrust and pressure are two physical quantities related to force. Take, for example, a
plastic ball immersed in water. A force is used to submerge it. At the same time, water
exerts pressure on the submerged ball. Now, as soon as the force is removed, the
upward thrust acting on the ball brings it back to the surface of water.

Thrust and Pressure: In Depth

Supose we have a pile of three books on a table. If we try pushing the pile with all the
fingers of one hand, we will be able to move the books easily. However, this will not be
the case if we try pushing the pile with only the index finger.

In ‘Case (i)’, the effort needed to displace the pile of books is taken care of by the force
applied by the fingers. In ‘Case (ii)’, the force applied by the single finger is not enough;
a greater force is needed to displace the books.

Thus, the force per unit area exerted by the pile on all the fingers is lesser than that
exerted by the same books on the index finger. Consequently, the books move easily in
the first case, but not in the second.

This force per unit area is called pressure. It is given by the following relation:

For a constant magnitude of thrust, if the contact area is greater, then the pressure will
be lesser, and vice versa.

Since the SI units of thrust and contact area are N and m2 respectively, the SI unit of
pressure is pascal (N/m2).

Know More

Heavy vehicles have more than four tyres. Let us understand why this is so.

A wheel of a heavy vehicle has to support a large load. As a result, the consequent
pressure on the road due to the wheel is very large. Extra wheels reduce the load
carried by the individual wheels, which in turn reduces the pressure on the road due to
each wheel. This prevents the wheels from causing damage to the road or sinking into
the ground.
Solved Examples

Easy

Example 1:

A force, acting on an area of 0.5 m2, produces a pressure of 500 Pa. Find the value
of the force.

Solution:

Example 2:

A force of 100 N is applied on an area of 2 m2. What is the pressure resulting from
this force?

Solution:

Medium

Example 3:

A block of wood has a mass of 20 kg. Its length, breadth and height are 30 cm, 25
cm and 10 cm respectively. On which of its sides should it rest so that it exerts
the least pressure on the ground? Also, calculate this pressure. (Take g = 10
m/s2)

Solution:
The side of the block that has the greatest surface area will exert the least pressure on
the ground, and vice versa. Therefore, in order to exert the least pressure on the
ground, the block should rest on the side having the dimensions 30 cm × 25 cm.

We can compute the least pressure exerted by the block as follows

Example 4:

Explain why the wheels of an army tank are covered over by a wide steel belt?

Solution:

The steel belt covering the wheels of an army tank has a large surface area. This
reduces the pressure exerted by the tank on the ground. As a result, the tank can move
easily without damaging the ground or sinking in it.
Know Your Scientist

Blaise Pascal (1623−1662) was a great mathematician and physicist. He worked in the
field of geometry and helped in the development of calculators. He also contributed to
studies relating to fluids and the pressure distribution in them. The SI unit of pressure is
named after him. One pascal is equal to the amount of pressure exerted by a force of
one newton on one-square-metre area.
Walking on a Sand Bed
Have you ever wondered why walking on a sand bed is more difficult than walking on a
hard road? Let us understand the reason for this phenomenon.

You already know that we push the ground with some force while walking, and the
ground in turn applies the same force on our feet. The concrete or soil particles
comprising a hard road are tightly bound and immovable. As a result, the reaction force
of the ground on our feet is almost equal to the force of our feet on the ground.

A sand bed, on the other hand, consists of loose and movable particles of sand. While
walking, these particles get displaced by the force applied by our feet. Consequently,
the reaction force of the ground on our feet reduces, which makes walking difficult.

In other words, a hard, rigid surface is able to sustain the pressure applied upon it.
Hence, such a surface allows easy movement. However, a soft, loose surface gets
deformed under the applied pressure. Hence, such a surface hampers movement.

This phenomenon shows how the same pressure applied by the same force on the
same surface area of different surfaces leads to different results.

Applications of Pressure

A few applications of the pressure are discussed here.

1. If you observe a knife used for cutting vegetables, you will notice that the edge of the
knife is made very sharp and the area of the edge is very small. Therefore, the pressure
on the edge is very high which allows us to cut the materials very easily and with little
effort.

2. The area over which the weight of a skier is distributes is greatly increased by the
skis. This reduces the pressure on the snow, and thus, allows the skier to move over
snow without sinking into it.

3. While using a straw to drink anything, air is sucked out of the straw. Due to this, the
pressure inside the straw is decreased. Hence, the atmospheric pressure outside,
forces the liquid to go into the straw.

4. The straps of shoulder bags are generally made broad. The larger area of the strap
reduces the pressure on the shoulder of the person who is carrying the bag which
makes the bag easier and more comfortable to carry.
Pressure Exerted by Fluids

A fluid is a substance that doesn’t have any fixed shape and yields easily to external
pressure. Like solids, fluids (liquids and gases) have weight and can exert pressure on
the walls of the container in which they are enclosed. When you exert pressure on the
surface of a liquid or gas, the pressure is transmitted undiminished through the volume
of the fluid in all directions.

The shape and area of a fluid surface do not affect the pressure exerted by the fluid. It
is the height of the fluid column which determines this pressure.

Did You Know?

Air in the atmosphere also exerts pressure. This is known as atmospheric pressure.
Instruments that Measure Pressure

Here are some instruments used for measuring pressure.

 Bourdon pressure Manometer Barometer
gauge

Liquids Exert Pressure

Therefore, it can be concluded that liquids also exert pressure.

Take an empty plastic mug. Make four holes in the mug at different heights (as shown in
the given figure). Now, fill the mug with water. Does the water coming out of the
holes fall at the same distance from the mug?

You will observe that water coming out of the holes fall at different distances. The
pressure at which water comes out of the holes is directly proportional to its depth.

What happens when you make holes at the same height?

 Water falls at the same distance. Thus, this proves that liquids exert equal pressure at
the same depth.

Fluids exert pressure on the walls of the

container.

Pressure exerted by fluids increases with depth.

Fluids exert equal pressure at the same depth.

• The liquid pressure at a point is independent of the quantity of liquid, but depends upon
the depth of the point below the liquid surface. This is known as hydrostatic paradox.

• The liquid pressure increases with the increase in density of the liquid: As the density of
mustard oil is more than water, so the balloon tied to tube bulges more than that tied to
tube A. This proves that the liquid pressure increases with the increase in density of the
liquid.

• The atmospheric pressure at any point is equal to the weight of a column of air of unit
cross-sectional area, extending from that point to the top of the earth’s atmosphere.

• Atmospheric pressure at sea level is 1.013 × 105 Pa (1 atm).

• Two pressure-measuring devices are mercury barometer and open-tube manometer.

Consequences of liquid pressure

• The pressure at a certain depth in river water is less than that at the same depth in sea
water. This is because the density of river water is less than that of the sea water.

• The wall of a dam is made thicker at the bottom as compared to its top. This is because
the pressure exerted by the water (liquid) increases with depth. So to withstand such
great pressure, thicker walls are required. Thus, the wall of a dam is made such that its
thickness increases towards the base.

• The sea divers need to wear special protective suit while diving in deep sea. This is
because in deep sea, the total pressure exerted on the diver's body is more than
his/her blood pressure. To withstand such high pressure, the diver has to wear a special
protective suit, made from glass reinforced plastic or cast aluminium. The pressure
inside the suit is maintained at one atmosphere.

Atmospheric Pressure

You know that solids as well as liquids exert pressure. Do you know that gases also
exert pressure? Let us see how gases exert pressure.

Air in an inflated tyre exerts pressure on the tyre from inside.

Air in an inflated balloon exerts pressure on its skin.

Atmosphere exerts pressure on the surface of the Earth.

The Earth is surrounded by an envelope of different gases. This envelope of different

gases is known as the atmosphere. It extends up to a few thousand kilometres. These
gases exert pressure known as atmospheric pressure. This pressure results from the
weight of the gas molecules present in air.

The weight of air in a column of height of the atmosphere and area 10 cm × 10 cm

is as large as 1000 kg.

Take an empty soft drink can. Pump all the air out of it, till practically there is no air left
inside the can. This can be done using a vacuum pump. Due to the absence of air
inside the can, it can be squeezed and crumbled under the effect of atmospheric
pressure acting on the outer surface of the can.

Interesting Fact:
Otto von Guericke, a German scientist, in 1654 at Magdeburg took two hollow metallic
hemispheres of 51 cm each. He joined the two hemispheres together. When there was
air inside them, they could be easily separated from each other. However, when all the
air was pumped out, the force due to the atmospheric pressure on the outer surface of
the two hemispheres became so large, that even horses on each side could not
separate the two hemispheres.

The Earth is surrounded by a lot of gases. This envelope of gases around our planet is
called atmosphere. Atmosphere is vital for the survival of all life forms on the Earth. As
gases have mass, they exert pressure on their surroundings. Atmosphere is made up of
gases; hence, it also exerts pressure on the Earth’ surface as well as on all its life
forms. This pressure exerted by the atmosphere is called atmospheric pressure.

We can now define atmospheric pressure as follows:

The force exerted on a unit area by a column of air above the Earth’s surface is
called atmospheric pressure.

The value of atmospheric pressure in the SI system is 100000 N/m2 or 100000 Pa.

Measurement of Atmospheric Pressure

The value of atmospheric pressure is not the same at all places. It is higher at sea level
than on mountains. At sea level, the atmospheric pressure is about 100000 Pa
or 102102 hPa. The below graph shows the variation of Earth's atmospheric pressure
with height from the sea level.
 To measure atmospheric pressure, we use an instrument called Barometer.

Barometer

Construction—

• A hard glass tube is taken and filled with mercury.

• The open end of the tube is closed with a finger.

• The tube is inverted over a trough filled with mercury.

• The finger is removed only when the open end of the tube is completely immersed in
the mercury of the trough.

• On removing the finger, some mercury from the tube flows into the trough; the mercury
column shows the height of 76 cm.

Mercury is used in a barometer because—

• It is the heaviest liquid. Hence, only 76 cm of mercury column is needed.

• Mercury gives more accurate readings because it does not stick to the glass tube.

• It can be easily seen while taking the reading because it is shiny and opaque.
 Drawbacks of a Barometer—

• Trough is open; hence, there is always a chance of impurities getting mixed with pure
mercury.

• It is not portable.

• It is not compact.

Effects of Atmospheric Pressure

If such a big force is acting all around us, then how is it that it is not felt by us? It is not
felt by us because the oxygen in our blood also has pressure, which acts in the direction
opposite to atmospheric pressure. This pressure of oxygen balances the pressure of the
atmosphere. Hence, atmospheric pressure is not felt by us.

If we travel in an airplane and it is not pressurised properly, then our nose would start
bleeding at high altitudes. This would happen because pressure at high altitudes is
lesser than the pressure of the oxygen in our blood. This difference of pressure would
burst the capillaries within our nose, thereby making our nose bleed.

So, a passenger aircraft is pressurised properly so that the pressure in the aircraft is the
same as at the ground level. Even astronauts wear space suits to counter the low
pressure that exists in outer space. Fishes in deep sea water experience more pressure
than we do on land; hence, their internal body pressure is more than ours.

If these fishes are brought out of water, their body bursts because of the excess
outward pressure that exists in the blood.

Similarly, if you take a fountain pen to a higher altitude, you will see that it leaks. This
happens because the pressure outside gets reduced in comparison to the pressure
inside. The pressure inside the pen squeezes the ink out.

When you use a straw to suck in a soft drink, the same principle is at work. When you
suck air out of a straw, the pressure inside it falls. This fall in pressure is compensated
by the liquid that is forced up by atmospheric pressure.