Weights weighing 2 kg are placed on a small piston of a hydraulic press with an area of 100 cm.

Weights weighing 2 kg are placed on a small piston of a hydraulic press with an area of 100 cm. How much weight must be placed on a large piston with an area of 500 cm in order to balance their effect on the liquid in the press body?

Given:

s1 = 100 square centimeters = 0.01 m2 – the area of ​​the small piston of the hydraulic press;

s2 = 500 square centimeters = 0.05 m2 – the area of ​​the large piston;

m1 = 2 kilograms is the mass of the weight placed on the small piston;

g = 10 Newton / kilogram – acceleration of gravity.

It is required to determine m2 (kilogram) – what mass must be put on the large piston in order to balance both sides.

Let’s find the force of gravity acting on the weight:

F1 = m1 * g = 2 * 10 = 20 Newtons.

Then:

F1 / s1 = F2 / s2;

F2 = F1 * s2 / s1 = 20 * 0.05 / 0.01 = 20 * 5 = 100 Newtons.

The mass of the second weight will be equal to:

m2 = F2 / g = 100/10 = 10 kilograms.

Answer: you need to put a weight of 10 kilograms on the large piston.