Squeezy McPressure here! I have a question for you. Have you ever changed a flat tire on your car or truck using one of these styles of jacks? One is a bottle jack, and the other is a rolling floor jack. Do you know how they generate enough force to lift a vehicle?

You guessed it — fluid power! Hydraulics, to be specific.

Hydraulic pressure is applied to the piston area in the bottle-jack style or to the cylinders that move the mechanical linkages in the floor-jack style. The manual lever pumps hydraulic fluid into the cylinder chamber.

And the principle that makes it all work? Pascal's Law.

            Force = Pressure • Area

Pressure is applied to the area of the piston. As fluid is pumped into the cylinder, the generated force exceeds the load from the car or truck, and as a result, the vehicle is raised.

The effort required at the handle is significantly reduced because of the difference in area between the small pumping piston and the larger output piston.

A small input force can produce a much larger output lifting force.

So, the next time you're changing a flat tire, take a closer look at that jack. You're putting fluid power to work!

Until next time! - Squeezy