What is the force acting on a unit area of a surface called?
Pressure
The quantity described, the force acting on a unit area of a surface, is by definition Pressure.
It is expressed mathematically as \(\text{Pressure} = \dfrac{\text{Force}}{\text{Area}}\), where the force considered is the component acting perpendicular (normal) to the surface, divided by the area over which it is spread.
Pressure is a scalar quantity, and its SI unit is the pascal (Pa), defined as \(1\ \text{Pa} = 1\ \text{N/m}^2\), that is, one newton distributed over one square metre.
For the same force, a smaller contact area gives a larger pressure, which is why a sharp knife or a pin exerts high pressure, while broad snowshoes reduce pressure on soft snow.
Weight is the gravitational force acting on a body's mass, measured in newtons; it is a force, not a force per unit area, so it does not fit the definition.
Work is the product of force and displacement in the direction of the force, measured in joules, while 'force density' is not the standard scientific term for force per unit area.
Hence, the correct answer is Pressure.
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Important Questions from Pressure
Deep-sea diving vessels have to withstand pressure from the crushing effect of seawater acting-
The pressure increases with-
- At high altitudes, the air pressure is _______ than at sea level.
The atmospheric pressure at sea level is ________, and is taken as the normal atmospheric pressure.
The standard atmospheric pressure can not be expressed as
