General A&P Practice Test

In a hydraulic system, the force a piston experiences is found by multiplying the fluid pressure by the piston’s cross-sectional area. This is because pressure is the amount of force per unit area, so Force = Pressure × Area.

With 8010 psi and a piston area of 10 square inches, the force is 8010 × 10 = 80,100 pounds-force. The units line up since psi (pounds per square inch) times square inches yields pounds.

So the piston exerts about 80,100 pounds of force. If the area were smaller, the force would scale down proportionally (for example, 8,010 pounds if the area were 1 in²). In real systems, inefficiencies can reduce the actual force, but the basic relationship remains the same.