Pressure is a force exerted on a surface per unit area. The document describes an experiment using potatoes and straws to demonstrate how pressure works. Students place a potato on a table and try stabbing uncovered and thumb-covered straws into it. The uncovered straw bends upon insertion while the thumb-covered straw cuts deeper, showing that blocking the end of the straw increases its internal pressure, strengthening it to penetrate further.

1. Pressure
BY: JOE CHANDLER

2. Pressure
 Pressure is a force that is exerted on a force.

3. Measuring Pressure
 Pressure is a force on a surface. That makes the
equation force/area=pressure

4. Materials
 Raw Potato
 Table
 Straw
 Thumb

5. Lab
 Step 1: Place potato on the table
 Step 2: Hold straw at the top without covering the
hole
 Step 3: Try stabbing straw into potato
 Step 4: Hold your thumb over hole of another straw
 Step 5: try and stab straw number two into the
potato

6. Results
 The uncovered straw will bend and the straw will
barely penetrate
 The straw with your thumb over it cuts much deeper
into the potato
 The air in the straw gives the straw enough strength
to penetrate the potato. As it goes into the potato, the
potato plugs it and pushes the air into a smaller area,
increasing the pressure. This pressure keeps the strw
strong.

7. The End