How can I calculate underwater pressure quickly

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    Pressure Underwater
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SUMMARY

The formula for calculating underwater pressure is given by P = ρgh, where ρ represents fluid density, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the fluid column. This formula approximates that for every 10 meters of water, there is an increase of approximately 1 additional atmosphere of pressure, equating to about 100,000 Pascals or 1 bar. The discussion emphasizes the importance of considering the initial atmospheric pressure at sea level, which is approximately 1 atm. For practical applications, this formula is sufficient for calculating pressure in reasonable liquids near the Earth's surface.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of hydrostatic pressure principles
  • Familiarity with fluid density measurements
  • Knowledge of the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²)
  • Basic skills in unit conversion (Pascals to bar)
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of temperature on fluid density
  • Learn about the implications of pressure changes in underwater environments
  • Explore advanced fluid dynamics concepts related to hydrostatics
  • Study the conversion methods between different pressure units (e.g., Pa to bar)
USEFUL FOR

Engineers, physicists, and anyone involved in underwater exploration or fluid mechanics will benefit from this discussion on calculating underwater pressure.

Charlie Kay
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Does anyone know a simple formula to calculate underwater pressure?
 
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I have the formula "P=r*g*h" when r=fluid density, g=Acceleration of gravity and h=height of fluid.

Got this off NASA
 
Charlie Kay said:
I have the formula "P=r*g*h" when r=fluid density, g=Acceleration of gravity and h=height of fluid.
Same thing. (##\rho## is the common symbol for density.)
 
The simplest way you can get is 1 extra atmospheric pressure per 10 metres of water column.
 
Brilliant, that's just what I was looking for! :-)
 
How much Is normal atmospheric pressure?
 
1 atm or very close to 1 bar, or very close to 100 000 Pascals.

In the spirit of the forum I'd encourage you to take the earlier-posted equations and plug in the numbers for 10 metres of water, and see if it really comes down to 100 000 Pascals. You need density of water in kg/m^3.
 
Charlie Kay said:
Brilliant, that's just what I was looking for! :-)

Of course Bandersnatch's answer is an approximation - but quite good enough for all practical purposes. It would be a good exercise to calculate exactly what the pressure increase from ten meters of water is using the ##\rho{g}h## formula - google will find the values of the various physical constants you'll need - and see just how good of an approximation it is, whether it is sensitive to small changes in the temperature of the water.
 
  • #10
Thanks:-)
 
  • #11
Just wandering if there are any other formulas for it?!
 
  • #12
Charlie Kay said:
Just wandering if there are any other formulas for it?!

##\rho{g}h## is pretty much the gold standard here. You can make additional corrections if ##\rho## or ##g## aren't constant, but for any problem involving reasonable liquids on or around the surface of the earth, these are just rounding errors.
 
  • #13
Hey guys I've collected some information and I can now calculate "P=r*g*h" It is:

999.99 X 9.81 X 11000 = 107 908 920.9
Fluid Density X Acceleration Due To Gravity X Height Of Fluid = Pressure

But this is it pascal, does anyone know the conversion rate from pascal to bar?
 
  • #14
Charlie Kay said:
But this is it pascal, does anyone know the conversion rate from pascal to bar?
1 bar = 100,000 Pa.
 
  • #15
While we appreciate the traffic, Google will answer these questions in milliseconds...
 
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  • #16
And don't forget what 'snatch said: "1 extra atmospheric pressure per 10 metres".
People often forget there's an initial 1 atm at sea level.
 
  • #17
DaveC426913 said:
And don't forget what 'snatch said: "1 extra atmospheric pressure per 10 metres".
People often forget there's an initial 1 atm at sea level.
That often falls out of the analysis (for example, for a submarine), but yes, that thought should at least be processed at the start of the analysis.
 
  • #18
russ_watters said:
While we appreciate the traffic, Google will answer these questions in milliseconds...

But it's not as friendly and it doest'n give you a straight answer
 
  • #19
Charlie Kay said:
But it's not as friendly and it doest'n give you a straight answer
It certainly has its limitations, but it is a life-skill everyone should have.
 

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