How Does Altitude Affect the Weight of Water?

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SUMMARY

The weight of 2 cubic feet of water at sea level is calculated to be 4.015 x 10^3 lbf, while at an altitude of 5374 feet in Colorado, it weighs 4.011 x 10^3 lbf due to the difference in gravitational acceleration (32.174 ft/s² at sea level vs. 32.139 ft/s² in Colorado). The density of water is established at 62.4 lbm/ft³, leading to a mass of 124.8 lbm for the given volume. The discussion confirms the correctness of these calculations and highlights the conversion between mass and weight in imperial units.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravitational acceleration and its variations
  • Familiarity with the concepts of mass and weight
  • Knowledge of density calculations
  • Basic proficiency in unit conversions between lbm and kg
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of altitude on gravitational acceleration
  • Explore the implications of density variations in different fluids
  • Learn about the metric system and its advantages over imperial units
  • Investigate the relationship between mass, weight, and gravitational force
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Students in physics, engineers working with fluid dynamics, and anyone interested in the effects of altitude on physical properties of substances.

yenting
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water has a density of 62.4lbm/ft^3 .How much does 2ft^3 of water weight at sea level and in Colorado where the altitude is 5374ft and the gravitational acceleration is 32.139ft/s^2?
Solution :

density=mass/volume
62.4lbm/ft^3=mass/2ft^3
mass=124.8lbm

w=mg
=124.8lbm*32.174ft/s^2
=4.015*10^3lbf (sea level)

w=mg
=124.8lbm*32.139ft/s^2
=4.011*10^3lbf (Colorado)

is that correct?
 
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Yes it is.
 
Sorry, you are both wrong. According to your calculation, yenting, one cubic foot of water weighs about two tons.

One lbm is equivalent to about 0.454 kg. One lbm also has a weight of one pound force when g = 32.174 ft/s^2.
 
Thanks for checking SteamKing.

I'll stick to metric, it's so much easier.

So its the ratio 32.139:32.174 that gives the value of g. That makes much more sense.
 

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