5b Density and Pressure

Candidates should be able to:

Define and use concept of density and pressure.

Use understanding of density and pressure to derive and apply the equation
for hydrostatic pressure.

Understand the action of upthrust on objects in fluids.

Use Archimedes’ principle to calculate the upthrust acting on an object.

Definitions
Density of a substance is the measure of its mass per unit
Density (ρ)
volume.

Pressure Measure of the force per unit area.

Upthrust/Buoyancy An upward force that a liquid or gas exerts on a body floating in

Force it.

Any fluid in a small area will exert pressure, which is known as

Hydrostatic Pressure hydrostatic pressure. If fluid is in a container, there will be some
pressure on the wall of that container.

5b.1 Density and Pressure

5b.1.1 Density and pressure
Density, symbolised by the Greek letter ‘ρ’ (rho), of a substance is measured
in kg m3 such that:

5b Density and Pressure 1

 m
ρ = V

​

Density, like pressure, is a scalar quantity.

Pressure, symbolised by ‘p’, is measured in pascals (P a) or N m2 such that:

p = F
A
 ​

When measuring pressure, the area considered must be perpendicular to the

force applied.

5b.1.2 Pressure in a liquid

The link between pressure and density can be seen when studying fluids.

Consider a container, of mass m, submerged in a liquid such that its top point
is at a depth h1 :
​

5b Density and Pressure 2

 The pressure due to the liquid is caused by the weight of the small column of
liquid above the area of the container at depth h1 .
​

The weight at h1 can be derived by:

​

W = m g
W = (ρ Ah1 )g where m = ρ × vol 
​

and vol = Area × height

W
A
​ = (ρ h1 ) g
​

P1 = ρ h1 g
​ ​

In the above derivation, the mass of the liquid is substituted using the
definition of density.

5b Density and Pressure 3

 Using the above method, we must also derive the pressure at depth h2 , which
​

is due to the column of liquid above this depth, which comes out to be:

P2 = ρ h2 g
​ ​

The difference in pressure due to difference in depth is:

Δp = P2 − P1 
​ ​

Δp = ρ g Δh
This indicates that the pressure in a liquid increases with depth; it is
proportional to the depth below the surface of the liquid.

The pressure at any point in a fluid at rest must act in all directions at that
point as all its points are in equilibrium.

Thus, the pressure acting on the object by the liquid will act in all directions on
that object.

Important Note

When determining the absolute pressure, make sure to include

external forces acting on the surface of the liquid (this includes
forces such as atmospheric pressure).

5b Density and Pressure 4

 Skill Check 1
Calculate the excess pressure over atmospheric at a point 1.2mbelow the
surface of the water in a swimming pool. The density of water is 1.0 ×
103 kgm−3 
Solution

Simply apply:

p = ρ h g
p = (1.0 × 103 ) (1.2) (9.81)
p = 1.2 × 104 P a
To get the total/absolute pressure, add atmospheric pressure (PT ​ =
1.01X105 P a)
PT = PAtmosphere + Pwater 
​ ​ ​

PT = 1.13 × 105 P a
​

5b.1.3 Upthrust
Objects appear to weigh less immersed in a fluid than when in a vacuum; this
is due to the presence of a force (upthrust) acting on the object by the water.

To understand this, it is necessary remember that pressure acting on an object

by a liquid acts in all directions on the object, and that pressure increases with
depth.

Imagine a cylinder immersed in a liquid, due to the above properties of liquids,

the pressure on the bottom of the cylinder is greater than the pressure on top.

5b Density and Pressure 5

 This difference in pressure means that there is a greater upward force acting
on the bottom of the object, compared to the downward force acting on top.

5b Density and Pressure 6

 The difference between these forces is the upthrust (or the buoyancy force),
such that:

Fbuoyancy = Fup − Fdown 

​ ​ ​

Since pressure refers to the force per unit area (p = F

A
​)and difference in
pressure is:

Δp = ρ g (h2 − h1 )
​ ​

By combining the above equations, we can obtain an equation for the

buoyancy force:

Fb = ρ g A (h2 − h1 )
​ ​ ​

Fb = ρ g A L
​

Fb = ρ g V 
​

In the above equation, ‘ρ’ represents the liquid density, ‘L’ is the cylinder
length, ‘A’ is the cylinder’s cross-sectional area, and ‘V ’ is its volume (V =
AL).
The cylinder occupies a volume equal to the volume of liquid displaced.

The mass of the liquid is obtained by ρV  and its weight is equal to ρV g.

The above equation shows that the upthrust is equal to the weight of the
displaced liquid by the immersed object: this is the Archimedes’ principle.

The Archimedes’ principle states that the upthrust acting on an object

immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.

5b Density and Pressure 7

 Skill Check 2
Calculate:

The force needed to lift a metal cylinder when in air

The force needed to lift the cylinder when immersed in water.

The density of the metal is 7800kgm−3 and the density of water is

 −3 . The volume of the cylinder is 0.50m3 .
1000kgm
Solution

The force required is equal to the weight of the cylinder, therefore:

W = 0.50 × 7800 × 9.81

W = 3.8 × 104 N 
The force needed can be obtained by calculating the difference
between the object’s weight and the upthrust acting on it:

F = W − Upthrust
F = 3.8 × 104 − (0.50 × 1000 × 9.81)
F = 3.3 × 104 N 

Points to Note
Pressure in a fluid is proportional to depth, and the pressure in a fluid acts in
all directions.

The upthrust/buoyancy force acting on an object depends on the density of

the fluid and the volume displaced.

According to Archimedes’ principle, the upthrust on an object can simply be

determined by finding the weight of the volume of liquid displaced by the
immersed object.

5b Density and Pressure 8