How pressure is measured using a manometer

[sluo]

Hello. I'm reading a physics book on my own and am learning about pressure measurements. I have a question with how pressure is measured using a manometer. Here is a link talking about it:

http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/PVB/Harrison/Manometer/Manometer.html

My question is, why do points at the same height necessarily have the same pressure (as in Cases 2 and 3)? If the liquid is in equilibrium, why can't we say that the pressure at any point in the liquid is equal to the pressure at any other point?

Thanks!

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

Because the weight of the water on top produces pressure in the water below. In mathematical form this is part of Bernulli's equation http://www.princeton.edu/~asmits/Bicycle_web/Bernoulli.html

 

[Redbelly98]

Hello. I'm reading a physics book on my own and am learning about pressure measurements. I have a question with how pressure is measured using a manometer. Here is a link talking about it:

http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/PVB/Harrison/Manometer/Manometer.html

My question is, why do points at the same height necessarily have the same pressure (as in Cases 2 and 3)? If the liquid is in equilibrium, why can't we say that the pressure at any point in the liquid is equal to the pressure at any other point?

Thanks!

It can be explained by thinking about forces and free-body diagrams.

From your link:

Consider the water lying between the dashed lines on the right. It has three forces acting on it:

1. Force due to air pressure at A, acting downward
2. Force due to water pressure at B, acting upward
3. Weight, acting downward

Since this water does not move, it must have zero net force acting on it. Because there is a gravitational force acting on it, the pressures at A and B cannot be equal.