Pascal Law Calculator
Work out pascal law instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
About Pascal Law Calculator
Pascal's law says pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted undiminished, so the same pressure acts on both pistons and force scales with area. 200 N on 0.001 m2 makes 200 kPa, which pushes 4000 N on a 0.02 m2 piston - a twentyfold gain. The large piston moves only a twentieth as far, so work balances.
Formulas
Pressure transmitted
P = F1 / A1 = F2 / A2
Force multiplication
F2 = F1 x A2 / A1
Worked example
With the default values below, Pascal Law Calculator returns Force At The Large Piston of 4,000.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Force on the small pistonminimum 0 N
- 200 N
- Area of the small pistonminimum 0 m2
- 0.001 m2
- Area of the large pistonminimum 0 m2
- 0.02 m2
Results
- Force At The Large Piston
- 4,000.0 N
- System Pressure
- 200,000.0 Pa
- Force Multiplication
- 20.000
- Output Movement Per Unit Of Input Movement
- 0.05000
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Pressure transmitted
- 3Force multiplication
- 4Force At The Large Piston= 4,000.0 N
- 5System Pressure= 200,000.0 Pa
- 6Force Multiplication= 20.000
- 7Output Movement Per Unit Of Input Movement= 0.05000
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do hydraulics beat levers for heavy lifting?
Because a large area ratio is easy to build in a compact space, and flexible hose lets the output be placed anywhere.
Does the fluid need to be incompressible?
Practically, yes. Trapped air compresses instead of transmitting force, which is why brake systems must be bled.