BCIT Physics Department
- To demonstrate Pascal's Law and to show how this principle applies to hydraulic cylinders
**Caution** - Do not press down too hard on the syringes or they will become damaged.
In our "hydraulic model", the area across the smaller piston is 1.8 square centimeters; the area across the larger piston is 4.9 square centimeters. The mechanical advantage of this hydraulic lift is 2.8. To demonstrate this, push on the smaller piston with your finger, then press on the larger piston.
You can feel the difference in the amount of force it takes to depress each plunger. The difference is approximately 2.8 units of pressure (N/square centimeter) Theoretically, using our model, it would take 455 kg of force to lift a 1274 kg vehicle (not taking into account any loss due to friction)