Calculating Force Exerted by Water on a Tilted Plate in a Tank

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the force exerted by water on a semi-circular plate tilted at a 45-degree angle in a tank filled with water to a depth of 6 feet. The weight-density of water is provided as 62.4 lb/ft³.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to set up an integral to find the force, expressing uncertainty about how to determine the area of the plate due to its tilt. Some participants suggest using a slicing method to clarify the area calculation.

Discussion Status

Participants are exploring different interpretations of the area of the slices and how to apply the slicing method correctly. There is ongoing clarification regarding the dimensions involved, particularly the width of the slices and the implications of the plate's tilt.

Contextual Notes

There is confusion regarding the geometry of the problem, particularly how the tilt of the plate affects the area calculations. The original poster's assumptions about the shape and dimensions of the tank and plate are being questioned.

NoobDoingMath
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Hi I have a midterm study guide question. This one has stumped me for a while and probably the only one undone.

Homework Statement


Suppose there is a semi-circular plate of radius 5 ft that rests on its
diameter and is tilted at 45 degree angle to the bottom of a tank lled with water to depth
6 feet. Find the force exerted by the water against one side of the plate. (The
weight-density of water is 62.4 lb=ft^3)


Homework Equations


So I'm reading the book and I know that to solve the problem Force is weight-density of water (62.4) times the depth (6-y) and the area.

Now the problem is I'm not quite sure how to approach the area. I just can't seem to grasp the image of the tank. Not to mention the 45 degree angle really confused my approach. I was under the assumption that its a 6ft tall cylinder with length 10ft and a plate on the bottom tilted at 45 degrees

The Attempt at a Solution


Problem seems simple, but I can't seem to figure out the 45 degree plate to find the area.

What i have is:

Integral from 0 to 6 of (62.4)(6-y)(area)

Now this is assuming that I approached this correctly.:confused:
 
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Welcome to PF!

Hi NoobDoingMath! Welcome to PF! :smile:
NoobDoingMath said:
What i have is:

Integral from 0 to 6 of (62.4)(6-y)(area)

Yes, that's basically correct.

You seem to be confused about the area …

I suggest in future you always use the slicing method.

In this case, slice the plate into horizontal slices of vertical distance dy …

then find the area of that slice (it'll be dy√2 times the width, won't it?) :wink:
 
Still a little bit confused, and I want to see if I'm understanding correctly. My "math English" isn't too good. :shy:

So √2 is a result of the 45-45-90 triangle right?
Therefore the slice is √2dy*width

The width is 10ft since its radius is 5 and the plate rest on its diameter?

Resulting my solution to be:

∫(62.4)(6-y)(10√2)dy a=0, b=6

My answer would become:

11232√2
 
Hi NoobDoingMath! :smile:

(just got up :zzz:)
NoobDoingMath said:
The width is 10ft since its radius is 5 and the plate rest on its diameter?

Nooo, you're not thinking straight. :redface:

Or, rather, you are thinking straight, and you should be thinking circular! :biggrin:

The width has to be the width of the slice

that's the whole point of slicing …

you add the area of each slice, and that depends on y, doesn't it? :wink:

Try again! :smile:
 

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