Equations needed for force required to lift water Take 2

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    Force Lift Water
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculations needed to determine the force required to lift water using two connected cylinders of different sizes. Participants explore various equations and principles related to fluid mechanics, including work-energy concepts and Bernoulli's principle, while addressing the specific scenarios posed by the original poster.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Mark Nutley seeks equations to calculate the force needed to lift water in two cylinders with specified dimensions and connection.
  • Some participants suggest using the work-energy equation, although there is uncertainty about its application in this context.
  • One participant mentions the importance of considering the time over which the force is applied when lifting water.
  • Another participant proposes using Bernoulli's equation and equating pressures at the same horizontal level to find the required force.
  • Mark expresses a lack of formal education in physics and a willingness to experiment to derive the equations himself.
  • Participants discuss Pascal's law as a relevant principle for understanding the forces involved in the system.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best approach to calculate the required forces. Multiple viewpoints and methods are presented, indicating an ongoing debate about the appropriate equations and principles to apply.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the original question lacks completeness, particularly regarding the time factor in lifting water. There are also references to the need for further clarification on the assumptions involved in applying different equations.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals interested in fluid mechanics, particularly those exploring practical applications of physics in mechanical systems or those learning about the principles of hydraulics.

Baxidur
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Hello

I posted something similar to this last week but maybe I was a touch vague as I didn't receive any good answers, So here some more details.

I'm looking for the equations required to calculate this and also any variations in the size of the cylinders/distance lifted

If I have 2 cylinders:-
Cylinder A 10cm diamter, 10cm high
Cylinder B 1cm diamter, 20cm high
They are both at ground level and conected via a 1cm pipe at the base of the cylinders

A, How can I calculate the force required on cylinder A to lift the water in cylinder B a given distance, i.e 5 cm
B, How can I calculate the required on cylinder B to completely empty cylinder A into (and overflowing B at 20cm high)

Yours hopefully

Mark Nutley
 

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Welcome to PF!

Hello Mark! Welcome to PF! :wink:

Well, the work-energy equation solves just about anything …

can you apply it here? :smile:
 
Hi and thanks for the welcome tiny tim.

I have never heard of that equation, and my calculator doesn't have a 'work' or 'energy' button

But thanks for trying, guess I'll spend another day using google to try and figure it out myself and if that fails I can always buy all the materials to run the various experiments and try and build the equations myself, (working full time so it may take a while) I'll post them some time next year and you can check them against the originals to see if I got it right if that's ok?

Thanks again

Mark Nutley
 
HI!
Well it is strange that you are doing fluid and have not covered work energy. Anyways what is the approach you are familiar with or trying to think of.

Your question is not complete, see lifting water (to a distance)needs not only force but an amount of time on which it is applied.

You can find that just near equilibrium force by equating the pressures at same horizontal level or by Bernoullis equation(both are a form of work energy theorem by the way)

Hope that helps
Please reply if you have esome other approach I would love to learn a new one
 
Hi Sk9

Thanks for the imput, I'm a mechanic by trade with no formal education, learning physics on the fly because it interests me.
Sorry I never though about time, it doesn't have to be fast, hours is fine.
 
Baxidur said:
Hi and thanks for the welcome tiny tim.

I have never heard of that equation, and my calculator doesn't have a 'work' or 'energy' button

But thanks for trying, guess I'll spend another day using google to try and figure it out myself and if that fails I can always buy all the materials to run the various experiments and try and build the equations myself, (working full time so it may take a while) I'll post them some time next year and you can check them against the originals to see if I got it right if that's ok?

Thanks again

Mark Nutley

yes, that's fine … i'll get my people to clear a gap in my schedule for an hour on 16th may 2013 so that i can look at it :smile:

in the meantime, work done is force times distance, and the work energy theorem says that work done = change in total mechanical energy (in this case, kinetic energy + potential energy)
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernoulli's_principle

You can basically apply the principle along the 2 cross sections you are interested in. Pressure is Force/Area, so you can figure out the force from that.

The other equation you will need is the conservation of mass:

\frac{d}{dt}mass_{cross section1}=\frac{d}{dt}mass_{cross section2}

\frac{d}{dt}mass=density*AreaOfCrossSection*Velocity
 
Hi Mark Nutley,
well if have lots of time then CONGRATULATIONS, you will be wasting least amount of energy,(when you speed some thing you waste energy in speeding things though you just want to go to your next position and then you waste energy in slowing it down at its final postion to stop) and you don't even need to apply Bernuolli equation you can just equate pressures at same heights in the same continuous liquid

use pascals[/PLAIN] law Hydraulic ramps are based on this principle.
 
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