Different units in Bernoulli's equation's terms?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the units in Bernoulli's equation, specifically the comparison of pressure and kinetic energy terms. Participants are examining the consistency of units across the equation's components.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the units of pressure, density, and velocity, questioning the validity of their initial unit conversions and assumptions about force and mass. There is a focus on reconciling the units of different terms in the equation.

Discussion Status

The discussion has seen participants revisiting their understanding of units, with some expressing uncertainty about the definitions of force and mass. One participant has indicated a renewed understanding after reviewing their calculations, suggesting a productive direction in the conversation.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of confusion regarding the definitions of units in different systems (imperial vs. SI), which may affect the interpretation of the problem. Participants are working within the constraints of their current knowledge and assumptions about physical quantities.

sinueus
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When I check units in the terms in Bernoulli's equation, they do not match:
Given:
p1 + 1/2 (row) v1^2 = p2 + 1/2 (row) v2^2

On the left hand side of the equation, the first term, pressure must have units of force/unit area; say lb/ft^2. The units in the second term are the product of

row, the density in, say, lb/ft^3
v1^2, the square of speed, say, ft^2/sec^2,

or [lb/ft^3][ft^2/sec^2] = [ lb/(ft sec^2) ] and this is different from the [lb/ft^2] of the first term. Why?

Thanks
 
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A lb isn't a unit of force, it's a units of mass.
 
I thought so!

Thanks,
I haven't done physics in a log time and I am rusty on the basics. I thoght I had the problem that you mention but was not sure. I'll try again using proper force units and I'll come back.
 
I am back!

After reviewing my units, I found that in the SI system, the unit of force is the pound (lb), the unit of mass is the slug and that of acceleration is ft/s^2. I remember that 1lb = 1 slug ft/sec^2. Armed with this knowledge, I atacked the problem as follows:

pressure (p) has units of lb/ft^2 = (slug ft)/(sec^2 ft^2) =
slug/(ft sec^2)

velocity has units of ft/sec

row, the density has units of slug/ft^3

Then, the second term in the equation must have units of:

(row)v^2 = [slug/ft^3][ft^2/sec^2] = slug/(ft sec^2)] which matches the pressure units of the first term.

Thanks for the reply. It motivated me to arrive at the right answer.
 

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