If the diameter of the plunger in a hydraulic elevator system is reduced while keeping other elements constant, what happens to the system pressure?

In a hydraulic elevator system, the pressure is governed by Pascal's principle, which states that when pressure is applied to a confined fluid, the pressure change occurs uniformly in all directions throughout the fluid.

When the diameter of the plunger is reduced while keeping the fluid volume constant and other components unchanged, the same force is now acting over a smaller surface area. Pressure is defined as force divided by area (P = F/A). Thus, if the area decreases (due to the smaller diameter), while the force remains the same, the pressure must increase. This is because the same amount of force is concentrated over a smaller area, resulting in a higher pressure.

This relationship highlights an essential principle in hydraulic systems: by reducing the area over which a force is applied, the resultant pressure in the hydraulic fluid increases, allowing for greater lifting power or responsiveness in the elevator system. Therefore, choosing higher system pressure accurately reflects the outcome of reducing the plunger diameter in this scenario.