One way to force air into an unconscious person's lungs is to squeeze on a balloon appropriately connected to the subject. What force must you exert on the balloon with your hands to create a gauge pressure of 4.00 cm water, assuming you squeeze on an effective area of 50.0 cm^2?

The force that you must exert on the balloon is 1.96 N

Explanation:

Given;

height of water, h = 4.00 cm = 4 x 10⁻² m

effective area, A = 50.0 cm² = 50 x 10⁻⁴ m²

density of water, ρ = 1 x 10³ kg/m³

Gauge pressure of the balloon is calculated as;

P = ρgh

where;

ρ is density of water

g is acceleration due to gravity

h is height of water

P = 1 x 10³ x 9.8 x 4 x 10⁻²

P = 392 N/m²

The force exerted on the balloon is calculated as;

F = PA

where;

P is pressure of the balloon

A is the effective area

F = 392 x 50 x 10⁻⁴

F = 1.96 N

Therefore, the force that you must exert on the balloon is 1.96 N