Pressure as force per unit area
What Pressure as force per unit area means in Physics GCSE, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of Pressure as force per unit area
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Pressure as force per unit area in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: OCR
Measures how concentrated a force is over a surface, found by dividing the force normal to that surface by the area of the surface.
Pressure is this force per unit area, so a given pressure produces a larger force on a larger area.
Topics that use Pressure as force per unit area
- Forces in action (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- Area under a force–extension graph
- Clockwise and anticlockwise rotation
- Constant versus changing ratio
- elastic deformation
- Elastic limit
- Elastic limit and permanent deformation
- Elastic potential energy
- Energy stored by raising a mass
Using Pressure as force per unit area in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Physics questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge