The air trapped in a bicycle pump exerts a force of 90 N on the piston. The area of the piston is 0.0030 m2. Calculate the pressure of the air on the piston. Give your answer to 2 significant figures.
[2 marks]
Total for this question: 2
All equation deep-dives
Pressure
Forces
AQA 8463
On the equation sheet
ORIGINAL
p = F / A
Area must be in m^2 — and 1 m^2 is 10 000 cm^2, not 100.
Current GCSE 8463 policy: The full AQA GCSE Physics 8463 equation sheet is provided with both papers in 2026; use fluency practice to learn selection and rearrangement, not to memorise the list.
Board and spec code confirmed against AQA 8463 · registry checked 2026-07-17How this checking works
Know the equation
| Symbol | Quantity | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| p | pressure | Pa |
| F | force normal to the surface | N |
| A | area of the surface | m2 |
Rearrangements
- F = p A
- A = F / p
Apply it — mark your own working
Work each one out on paper first, then reveal the mark scheme and tick the marks you actually earned. That is exactly how you should mark past papers.
Q1
Do the calculation on paper first — then mark it.
Q2
The water in a tank exerts a pressure of 15 000 Pa on a drain plug. The area of the plug is 20 cm2. Calculate the force the water exerts on the plug. Give your answer to 2 significant figures.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
Do the calculation on paper first — then mark it.
Where the marks get lost
- Converting cm2 to m2 by dividing by 100 instead of 10 000.
- Multiplying force by area instead of dividing: the unit Pa is N/m2, force OVER area.
- Using a force that is not at right angles (normal) to the surface.
Exam tip: Convert the area to m2 before you substitute and the pressure comes out in pascals (Pa) with no further conversion. A larger area spreads the same force into a SMALLER pressure — use that to sanity-check.
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