How much force is produced by 1,000 psi of hydraulic pressure acting on a piston with an area of 20 square inches?

• A. 20,000 pounds.
• B. 2,000 pounds.
• C. 200 pounds.
• D. 200,000 pounds.

Answer: (A)

Force from hydraulic pressure is found by multiplying the pressure by the piston area: F = P × A. Here, P is 1,000 psi and A is 20 in², so F = 1,000 × 20 = 20,000 pounds of force (20,000 lbf). Psi means pounds per square inch, so multiplying by the number of square inches gives the total pounds of force. This shows why the force scales with both pressure and area: more pressure or a larger piston yields more force. If the area were smaller, the force would be smaller (for example, 2 in² would give 2,000 lbf), and if the area were larger or the pressure higher, the force would increase accordingly.