Press a small piston and lift a big load — Pascal's law made tangible. Pressure spreads equally through the trapped fluid, so a gentle push on a narrow piston becomes a giant force under a wide one. You trade distance for force: the big piston rises only a sliver.
■ Fluid pressure P→ ForceConnected vessel · pressure equal throughout
Setup
Small piston r₁4.0 cm
Large piston r₂16 cm
Input force F₁120 N
Depth probe h0.30 m
1920 N
Output force F₂
95.5
Pressure (kPa)
1920
Output F₂ (N)
16.0×
Mech. advantage
196
Load lift (kg)
P = F₁/A₁ = F₂/A₂F₂ = F₁·A₂/A₁A₁d₁ = A₂d₂
Playback
Try this: make the big piston 4× the radius of the small one → 16× the force. But watch the stroke: the big piston rises only 1/16 as far as the small one sinks. Force × distance in equals force × distance out — energy is conserved.