The solution at revision #19857 of , by Valter. This is not the current version.

Statement

5.5.4∗. A slab of mass is placed on two long cylindrical bags of radius and length , made of an inextensible material and filled with gas. As a result, they are flattened to a thickness of . The external pressure is . Determine the initial pressure in the bags if the temperature of the gas in them did not change.

For problem $5.5.4$
For problem

Solution

Since the material of the bags is inextensible, the perimeter of their cross-section does not change during deformation. Initially, the perimeter of one bag is .

After the slab is placed on them, the bags are flattened to a thickness of . In this flattened state, the cross-section of the bag can be approximated as a rectangle with width and height . The perimeter of this cross-section is . Using the condition , we can neglect , so the perimeter is approximately .
Equating the initial and final perimeters:

Now we can write down the initial and final volumes for one bag:
Initial volume:
Final volume:

The slab of mass rests on two bags. The total horizontal contact area of the slab with both bags is:

In a state of mechanical equilibrium, the force of gravity acting on the slab is balanced by the difference between the force from the gas pressure inside the bags () and the external atmospheric pressure () acting on this contact area:

From this, we express the final pressure in the bags:

According to the problem statement, the gas temperature does not change (). Applying Boyle's Law for the initial and final states of the gas inside one bag:

Substituting the expressions for the volumes:

Substituting the expression for into this equation and expanding the brackets:

Answer