Total pressure at a depth in a fluid

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of total pressure at a certain depth in a fluid, specifically addressing whether atmospheric pressure should be included in calculations. The subject area pertains to fluid mechanics and pressure measurement.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the necessity of including atmospheric pressure in total pressure calculations, with some suggesting that it is often omitted in textbook problems. There is also a mention of confusion stemming from differing problem contexts in various resources.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants sharing their perspectives on the inclusion of atmospheric pressure. Some guidance has been offered regarding the accuracy of including atmospheric pressure, and there is recognition of varying practices in different educational contexts.

Contextual Notes

Participants note discrepancies in problem setups, such as some questions providing atmospheric pressure values while others do not, leading to confusion about its relevance in calculations.

Molly1235
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Hello,

I would just like some clarification on this...

When you calculate "total" pressure at a depth in a fluid do you have to add on the value for atmospheric pressure??

Thanks,
Molly :-)
 
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If you want to be very accurate, yes. However the atmospheric pressure adds so little to the pressure due to the fluid that most textbook problems only deal with the fluid pressure. If you are asking about problems for a course, it would be best to ask your teacher.
 
HallsofIvy said:
If you want to be very accurate, yes. However the atmospheric pressure adds so little to the pressure due to the fluid that most textbook problems only deal with the fluid pressure. If you are asking about problems for a course, it would be best to ask your teacher.

Ok, I was just confused because there was this one question from an old book that gave us the value of atmospheric pressure whereas none of the other questions have so I haven't included it but still got the answers right...thank you!:)
 
the atmosphere has the same pressure as 10 meters depth of water, if I remember right. So if you are 20m underwater, then you will experience a pressure of 3 times normal.

edit: after seeing your reply, I guess the 'total pressure' was the total pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure. (i.e. not inlcuding the pressure of the atmosphere). I think this is fairly common.
 

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