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How to Calculate Force in Hydraulic Systems

Hydraulic systems are at work all around us. From the simplicity of a tube of toothpaste to the complexity of servo mechanisms and control systems of all kinds, the concepts of hydraulic pressure and force play key roles in our industrialized world. Hydraulic systems use incompressible fluids to transmit force from one place to another. Pascal's Law, developed by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, states that when there is an increase in pressure at any point in a confined fluid, there is an equal increase at all points in the contained system.

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Instructions

- 1
  Calculate the area of piston number 1 using the formula A1 = (π* D^2) / 4 where A1 equals the area of piston number 1, D equals the diameter of the piston and π is the constant 3.14.
- 2
  Calculate the Pressure (P) using the formula P = F / A where F equals the magnitude of the normal force on the piston and A equals the surface area of the piston.
- 3
  Calculate the area of piston number 2 using the formula A2 = (π* D^2) / 4 where A2 equals the area of piston number 2, D equals the diameter of the piston and π is the constant 3.14.
- 4
  Calculate Force number 2, F2, the unknown in the system. Force F1 is applied to area A1 resulting in pressure being transmitted through the fluid to larger piston with area A2. This pressure is the same according to Pascal's law. Therefore P = F1/A1 = F2/A2 solving for F2 yields the equation F2 = F1*(A2/A1). Plug in the calculated values for F1, A2 and A1 to solve for force F2.

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