Calculating Power for Pumping Water to a Tower

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the power required to pump water to a height of 92.0 meters at a flow rate of 75 liters per second, with each liter having a mass of 1.00 kg. The formula used is P = mgh/t, where P represents power, m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is height. The key takeaway is that the power can be calculated by rearranging the equation to P = gh * (m/t), where m/t represents the mass flow rate. The participants confirmed that understanding the mass flow rate is crucial for solving the problem.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts, specifically power and energy calculations
  • Familiarity with the formula P = mgh for calculating power
  • Knowledge of mass flow rate and its significance in fluid dynamics
  • Basic algebra skills for rearranging equations
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the concept of mass flow rate in fluid mechanics
  • Learn about the implications of gravitational potential energy in pumping systems
  • Explore the derivation and applications of the power equation P = mgh
  • Investigate real-world examples of pump systems and their efficiency calculations
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students studying physics, engineers involved in fluid dynamics, and anyone interested in understanding the power requirements for pumping systems.

Nx2
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Hi guys, I was doing some homework when I got stuck on this question I came upon. It goes as follows...

Water is being pumped up to a water tower, which is 92.0m high. The flow rate up to the top the tower is 75L/s and each litre of water has a mass of 1.00kg. what power is required to keep up this flow rate to the tower?

Ok, so I know the formula for power is P = W/t, so I changed W into F•d and now my equation is P = (F•d)/t. then I changed F into mg and got the equation P = (mg•d)/t.
Ok, now I am not sure if what I am doing is right but I don’t know where to go from here… they gave me velocity but I don’t know what to do with it. Like I subbed all my values in like the mass, gravity and distance but I don’t know what to do with the “75L/s and each litre is 1.00kg.”…. any help would be appreciated, thanks.

- Tu
 
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You have :
P = \frac {mgh}{t} = gh \cdot \frac {m}{t}

Does that help ?
 
ok... so... hmmm lol sorry i don't understand where that equation was derived from... h is height right?
 
Yes, h is the height. I just wrote what you had written and re-arranged the terms to bring out the factor (m/t). m/t is mass per unit time. Do you not know the value of this ?
 
sorry... yea... we never learned that b4.
 
Nx2 said:
sorry... yea... we never learned that b4.
I'm not sure what you mean by this. Do you now understand how to solve the problem, or don't you ?
 
ooo... ok i tried it and i got the answer!... thnx a lot i appreciate it. good help.

- Tu
 
yea i understand... thnx
 

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