Pressure

Pressure of solids and fluids: p = F/A, p = ρgh, force, area and depth with a step-by-step solution and unit conversion.

What to find:

g = 9.8 N/kg (problems often use 10 N/kg — enter the value you need). 1 mmHg ≈ 133.3 Pa, 1 atm = 101,325 Pa.

Test yourself

The pressure calculator finds the pressure of a solid on a surface, the force and the contact area, as well as fluid pressure at a depth, the depth and the fluid density — with unit conversion to SI and a step-by-step solution.

Pressure of a solid

p = ^F/_A

Pressure grows with the force and shrinks with the area it acts on. That is why a sharp knife cuts better and skis keep you on top of the snow. The unit of pressure is the pascal: 1 Pa = 1 N/m².

Example. A 600 N box rests on 0.04 m²: p = 600 / 0.04 = 15,000 Pa = 15 kPa.

Fluid pressure

p = ρgh

Fluid pressure depends only on the density and depth, not on the shape of the vessel. At a depth of 10 m water presses with about 98 kPa — almost a whole atmosphere.