Pressure 01

This KS3 Science quiz asks questions about pressure. Pressure is an effect which occurs when a force is applied on a surface. It is the amount of force acting on a unit area, so in order to calculate pressure, we need to know the force applied and the area it is acting on. The SI unit for force is the newton (N), named after the famous scientist of the same name - Isaac Newton. If the area is given in square metres (m²) and the force acting is given in newtons, then the units of pressure will be pascals (Pa).

The pascal is named after the French mathematician and scientist Blaise Pascal. He was particularly interested in fluids and pressure and invented the hydraulic press. This device uses pressure to magnify forces. At the time Pascal was alive, most scientists refused to believe in the concept of a vacuum. It was Pascal who demonstrated that a vacuum really existed. It was in honour of his work on pressure that the unit of pressure was named after him.