Fluid pressure question in US units

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SUMMARY

The water pressure at the Titanic, located 12,500 feet underwater, can be calculated using the formula pressure = ρgh, where ρ is the density of water (62.4 lb/ft³) and g is the acceleration due to gravity (32.2 ft/s²). The correct calculation involves ensuring that units are consistent, specifically converting lb/ft³ to lb/ft² by multiplying by the height in feet. The final pressure results in both pounds per square foot (psf) and pounds per square inch (psi) values, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between mass (lbm) and force (lbf) in the US customary system.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of fluid mechanics principles, specifically hydrostatic pressure.
  • Familiarity with unit conversions in the US customary system.
  • Knowledge of the relationship between mass and force in the context of Newton's laws.
  • Ability to manipulate equations involving density, gravity, and height.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the concept of hydrostatic pressure in fluids.
  • Learn about unit conversion techniques between different measurement systems.
  • Study the differences between mass (lbm) and force (lbf) in the US customary system.
  • Explore practical applications of pressure calculations in engineering contexts.
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics or engineering courses, professionals working with fluid dynamics, and anyone needing to understand pressure calculations in the US customary units.

freshman2013
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Homework Statement


The ocean liner Titanic lies under 12500 feet of water at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. (The density of water is 62.4 lb/ft{}^3.)

What is the water pressure at the Titanic? (Give your answer in both pounds per square foot and pounds per square inch.)


Homework Equations


pressure=ro*g*h


The Attempt at a Solution


at first, all I did was multiply 62.4*32(g in ft/s^2)*12500. The answer was wrong and then I think I found out why. I multiplied the units (lb/ft^3)*(ft/s^2)*ft and got lb/(ft*s^2) instead of lb/ft^2. Anyone get what I'm supposed to do for this problem? I never had this problem when working with metric units since kg/(m*s^2) converts nicely to N/m^2 Thanks!
 
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freshman2013 said:

Homework Statement


The ocean liner Titanic lies under 12500 feet of water at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. (The density of water is 62.4 lb/ft{}^3.)

What is the water pressure at the Titanic? (Give your answer in both pounds per square foot and pounds per square inch.)


Homework Equations


pressure=ro*g*h


The Attempt at a Solution


at first, all I did was multiply 62.4*32(g in ft/s^2)*12500. The answer was wrong and then I think I found out why. I multiplied the units (lb/ft^3)*(ft/s^2)*ft and got lb/(ft*s^2) instead of lb/ft^2. Anyone get what I'm supposed to do for this problem? I never had this problem when working with metric units since kg/(m*s^2) converts nicely to N/m^2 Thanks!

In the US system, the unit of mass that applies for use in Newton's second law and for getting the gravitational force on a body is the slug. The mass in slugs is equal to the mass in lbm divided by the average gravitational acceleration at the Earth's surface 32.2. Alternately, some people express Newton's second law in a little different form:

F = ma/gc

where F is the force in lbf, m is the mass of the body in lbm, a is the acceleration in ft/sec2 and

g_c=32.2 \frac{lb_m}{lb_f}\frac{ft}{sec^2}

The difficulty with the english system is the term pounds (lb) is used for both mass (lbm) and force (lbf); these are different entities.
 

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