🛢️ Pascal's Principle — Hydraulic Press

Pascal's Principle Simulator: Hydraulic Press & Force Multiplication

This Pascal's principle simulator shows how a hydraulic press multiplies force. Push a small piston (area A₁) with a modest force F₁ and the pressure P = F₁/A₁ is transmitted undiminished through the fluid to a large piston (area A₂), which pushes back with F₂ = P·A₂ = F₁·(A₂/A₁). With a big enough area ratio, a hand's push lifts a car — the principle behind hydraulic jacks, car brakes, and excavators. Live arrows show the input and output forces, a load sits on the big piston, and a card reports the pressure, mechanical advantage, output force, and whether the load lifts. Crucially, the lab shows there is no free energy: the small piston must travel A₂/A₁ times farther than the big one rises, so work in equals work out, just like a lever. Predict whether your input force will hoist the load before you press.

What you can do in this simulation

• Push a small piston and watch the pressure lift a heavy load on the large piston
• See Pascal's law F₂ = F₁·(A₂/A₁) with live input/output force arrows and the shared fluid pressure
• A card reports pressure in kPa, mechanical advantage, output force, and lift-vs-no-lift
• Watch the work tradeoff: the small piston moves A₂/A₁ times farther, so work in = work out
• Predict mode: call whether the input force lifts the load; presets for a car jack and big ratios

Concepts covered

pascal's principle · hydraulic press · pressure · force multiplication · mechanical advantage · work conservation · fluid statics

Related simulations

• Pulley Systems Simulator: Mechanical Advantage & Block-and-Tackle
• Buoyancy Simulator: Archimedes' Principle, Float or Sink?
• Torque & Balance Simulator: Seesaw, Moments & Levers
• Lever & Mechanical Advantage Simulator — Balance Torques Interactively
• Mechanical Engineering — Gear & Linkage Design
• Acoustics & Sound Waves — Interactive Simulator

Browse all Physics simulations →

Free to use in your browser — no signup required. Found a bug or have an idea to make it better? Tell us.