ERAU Commercial Checkride 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

A hydraulic system primarily operates by multiplying force through incompressible fluid using Pascal's law. Pascal's law states that when pressure is applied to a confined fluid, that pressure is transmitted undiminished in all directions throughout the fluid. This principle allows a small force applied on a smaller piston to generate a larger force on a larger piston, effectively amplifying the input force. This characteristic makes hydraulic systems particularly useful in various applications, including aircraft systems, where precise control and significant force are needed with relative compactness.

The other options do not accurately describe the operation of hydraulic systems. Compressing air refers to pneumatic systems, which use gases rather than liquids. Utilizing electric power is a characteristic of electric systems, which rely on motors and other electrically driven components. Mechanical linkages alone describe systems that depend solely on physical connections and movement without the fluid dynamics employed in hydraulics.