Air within the funnel of a large tornado may have a pressure of only 0.2 atm. What is the approximate outward force on a (5 m × 10 m) wall if a tornado suddenly envelops the house? (1 atm = 1.01 × 10⁵ N/m².)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The outward force on the wall is equal to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the house multiplied by the area of the wall. The pressure difference is (1 atm - 0.2 atm) = 0.8 atm = 8.08 x 10^4 N/m^2. Therefore, the outward force on the wall is (8.08 x 10^4 N/m^2) x (5 m x 10 m) = 4.04 x 10^6 N = 4 x 10^16 N, which is closest to choice D (4 x 10^16 N).

Air Within the Funnel of a Large Tornado May Have