Lesson 14.
Pascal’s Principle
General Physics 1/2
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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Pascal’s Principle
● When force is applied to a fluid in a container, this
force is equally distributed throughout the fluid.
● The force applied to the fluid passed on to the
walls of the container.
● This behavior of fluids is explained by Pascal’s
principle.
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Pascal’s Principle
Pascal’s principle states that, when a fluid is at
rest in a closed container, the pressure on one
part of the container is transmitted without any
loss throughout the fluid and the walls of the
container.
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Pascal’s Principle
● Let us consider the bottle shown
in the figure. It has a small neck
and a wide body.
● If force F1 is applied in the fluid
near the opening, the pressure
in this part of the container is
given by:
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Pascal’s Principle
● According to Pascal’s principle,
the force is uniformly distributed
throughout the fluid and the
walls of the container.
● Thus, the pressure in the bottom
part of the container is given by:
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Pascal’s Principle
● The pressure at the bottom of
the bottle is equal to the
pressure near its opening.
● Thus,
Pascal’s
Principle
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Remember
Pascal is the standard unit (SI unit)
of pressure (1 Pa = 1 N/m2).
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Where can Pascal’s
principle be applied?
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Hydraulic Systems
● Hydraulic systems or hydraulic machines
work by transmitting forces through fluids rather
than gears or levers.
● They only work when:
1. The liquids used in these systems are
incompressible.
2. The liquid obeys Pascal’s principle.
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Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic brakes
● When the brake pedal is pushed, a force is applied
to a piston connected to a tube containing brake
fluid.
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Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic brakes
● This tube is connected to another cylinder, which
pushes a piston connected to a brake pad that is
attached to a rotating metal disk.
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Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic brakes
● This metal disk is then connected to the wheel of
the car. As the force is passed on through this
metal disk, it provides friction to the wheel that
slows it down or stops it.
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Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic jacks
● A hydraulic jack is a
machine that allows you
to lift heavy objects
easier.
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Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic jacks
● In the figure, you can see
that the hydraulic jack
can be divided into three
parts, (1) the input
piston, (2) the liquid, and
(3) the output piston.
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Hydraulic Systems
Hydraulic jacks
● Since the pressure is
equal throughout the
fluid and the walls of the
container, the large area
of the output piston will
create a large output
force.
● This enables the system
to multiply the input force, 15
Let’s Sum It Up!
● Pressure is defined as the force exerted over
a unit area.
● Pascal’s principle states that when a fluid
is at rest in a closed container, the pressure
on one part of the container is transmitted
without any loss throughout the fluid and the
walls of the container.
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Let’s Sum It Up!
● Hydraulic systems are machines that work
by transmitting forces through fluids rather
than gears or levers.
● Hydraulic systems only work when the
liquids used are incompressible, and when
the liquid obeys Pascal’s principle.
● Hydraulic brakes in cars and hydraulic
jacks are examples of hydraulic systems.
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Key Formulas
Concept Formula Description
Use this formula to
Pressure
solve for pressure
where when the force and
● P is for pressure in area are given.
pascals (Pa)
● F is for force in
newtons (N)
● A is area in square
meters (m2)
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Key Formulas
Concept Formula Description
Use this formula to
Pascal’s Principle
solve for the force
where or area of a
● F1 and F2 are hydraulic system
forces in newtons given the force or
(N) area of the other
● A1 and A2 are areas parts of the hydraulic
in square meters
system.
(m2)
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