Fluids Prelab

Gauge Pressure

Ignoring air pressure, show that the pressure caused by a column of water 1.00 inches tall is 248.9 Pa. The dierence in pressure between the top and the bottom of a column of uid of height h is P = g h The density of water is water = 1000 kg m3

h = 1.00 inches = 2.54 cm = 2.54 102 m P = g h = 103 kg m3 1 m2 m (2.54 102 m) s2 N = 248.9 Pa m2

9.8

P = 248.9

kg m s2

= 248.9

The dierence in pressure P is P = 248.9 Pa

Atmospheric Pressure

A smooth, thin, square piece of rubber, eight inches by eight inches, is sitting on a smooth table at sea level. What is the total force of the atmosphere on the material? Pressure is force per unit area, P = 1 F A

so the force F is F =PA Atmospheric pressure is P = 1 atm = 14.7 The area A of the piece of rubber is A = (8 in) (8 in) = 64 in2 lbs in2 lbs in2

F = P A = 14.7 So the force on the piece of rubber is

(64 in2 ) = 940 lbs

F = 940 lbs Do you think you could lift this weight?

The Weight of Air

What is the change in the weight of a hollow cylinder of height 10 cm and radius 4 cm when the air is pumped out of it? Density is mass per unit volume, = m V

so the mass of the air in a cylinder of volume V is mair = air V The density of air is air = 1.20 The radius r of the cylinder is r = 4 cm = 0.04 m The area A of the base of the cylinder is A = r2 = 0.00502 m2 The height h of the cylinder is 2 kg m3

h = 10 cm = 0.1 m Since you know the area of the base of the cylinder and the height of the cylinder, you can calculate the volume in cubic meters, V = A h = r2 h = 0.000502 m3 Now that you know the density of air and the volume of the air in the cylinder, you can calculate the mass of the air in the cylinder. The change in the mass of the cylinder is thus mair = air V = 1.20 kg m3 (0.000502 m3 ) = 0.0006 kg = 0.6 g

So the change in the mass of the cylinder is mair = 0.0006 kg = 0.6 g Since weight is w = mg , the change in the weight of the cylinder is wair = mair g = (0.0006 kg) 9.8 kg m m = 0.006 2 = 0.006 N 2 s s

The change in the weight of the cylinder is thus w = 0.006 N

Pressure versus Elevation

Assume there is a 30 foot dierence in elevation between the rst and the third oors of Thimann laboratories. What is the dierence in atmospheric pressure between the two oors, expressed in inches of water? The change in elevation between the rst and the third oors is H = 30 ft. The dierence in atmospheric pressure is P = air g H The density of air is air = 1.2 kg m3

1 foot = 0.3048 m 3

H = 30 feet = 30 (0.3048 m) = 9.1 m The dierence in atmospheric pressure is thus P = air g H P = air g H = 1.20 P = 116 kg m s2 kg m3 9.8 m s2 (9.1 m)

1 m2

= 116

N = 116 Pa m2

So the dierence in pressure P is P = 116 Pa The problem asks you to express this dierence in pressures in terms of the height y of a column of water. You can apply the same equation, P = water g y You now know the dierence P in the pressure between the rst and third oors. Calculate the height y of the column of water. P = water g y P = air g H = water g y air H = water y y= You know the density water of water, water = 1000 y= air H= water 1.20 kg / m3 1000 kg / m3 (9.1 m) = kg m3 1.2 9.1 m = 0.011 m = 1.1 cm 1000 air H water

1 inch = 2.54 cm 1 cm = Then air H = 1.1 cm = 1.1 (0.39 in) = 0.47 in water So the change in elevation between the rst and the third oors represents a dierence in atmospheric pressure P = 116 Pa, which can be expressed as a rise y in a column of water, air y= H = 0.47 in water y= 4 1 in = 0.39 in 2.54