High School

A hydraulic lift is used to lift a car that weighs 3700 N. The car is pushing down on a 2.8 m² platform. Calculate the force that must be exerted on a 0.072 m² piston in order to lift the car.

Answer :

Final answer:

The hydraulic lift problem requires applying Pascal's principle to calculate the force needed on a small piston to lift a car using the ratio of the areas of the two pistons and the weight of the car.

Explanation:

The question pertains to the application of Pascal's principle in a hydraulic lift system. According to this principle, the pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted undiminished throughout the fluid. Therefore, for the hydraulic lift to work, the force exerted on the small piston, when applied to the larger surface area of the second piston, will lift the car.

The force required can be calculated using the formula:

F1/A1 = F2/A2

where:

  • F1 is the force exerted on the small piston,
  • A1 is the cross-sectional area of the small piston,
  • F2 is the weight of the car (3700 N),
  • A2 is the cross-sectional area of the platform that the car is on (2.8 m²).

To find the force F1, you would rearrange the equation to solve for F1, getting F1 = (F2 × A1) / A2. Hence,

F1 = (3700 N × 0.072 m²) / 2.8 m².

After performing the necessary calculations, the force that must be exerted can be determined.