If a force of 100 kPa is applied over a plunger with a diameter of 4 cm, what is the pressure?

To determine the correct answer, it is important to understand the relationship between force, pressure, and area. Pressure is defined as the force applied per unit area. The formula used is:

[

\text{Pressure} = \frac{\text{Force}}{\text{Area}}

]

In this scenario, the force applied is given as 100 kPa, which is equivalent to 100,000 N/m² (since 1 kPa = 1,000 N/m²). Next, we need to calculate the area of the plunger that the force is acting upon.

The diameter of the plunger is provided as 4 cm, which can be converted to meters for standard unit consistency (4 cm = 0.04 m). The radius is then half of the diameter:

[

r = \frac{0.04 \text{ m}}{2} = 0.02 \text{ m}

]

The area of a circle is calculated using the formula:

[

\text{Area} = \pi r^2

]

Substituting the radius into the formula gives:

[

\text{Area} = \pi (0.02 \text{ m})