Lesson 2: Pascal's Principle and Hydraulics

How can a mechanic apply a tiny force to a lever and effortlessly lift a 4,000-pound truck?

What happens to the internal pressure of a closed system when you squeeze an enclosed fluid at just one specific point?

If a hydraulic lift multiplies force, does it also multiply the total mechanical work done on the system?

Incompressible Fluid
Pascal’s Principle
Hydraulic System
Mechanical Advantage
Gauge Pressure

HS-PS2-1: Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. (Applied to buoyant forces and pressure differentials).

HS-PS3-1: Create a computational model or simulation of a phenomenon, such as the dependence of a system’s energy on its configuration and relative position, to calculate the change in energy of the system. (Applied to fluid pressure at depth and work-energy in hydraulics)

Demonstrate how static fluids can act as simple machines, applying the conservation of energy to trade force for distance within a closed system.

How your car's brakes work: When you step on your car’s brake pedal, you push a small piston into a master cylinder filled with brake fluid. Following Pascal’s principle, this pressure travels instantly through lines to much larger pistons at each wheel. The large pistons multiply your foot's force, clamping the brake pads tightly onto the spinning steel rotors to stop the multi-ton vehicle safely.

MPS Science Differentiation Strategies

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Unit 7 Assessment