Water flow speed through a pipe

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the speed of water flowing through a pipe, given the pipe's diameter and the time taken to fill a bathtub with a specific volume of water. The subject area pertains to fluid dynamics and flow rates.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationship between volumetric flow rate and linear speed, questioning the correct units for velocity and the necessary conversions for calculations.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of the relationship between volumetric flow rate and linear speed, with participants providing insights on unit conversions and clarifying the distinction between different types of flow measurements. No consensus has been reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the need to convert liters to cubic meters for proper unit alignment in calculations, highlighting potential constraints in the original problem setup regarding unit consistency.

Capncanada
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Homework Statement



Water flows through a 1.3 cm diameter pipe into a 295 L bathtub, which it fills in 5 min.

What is the speed of the water in the pipe?

Homework Equations



V_in=v_L*t*A_L (Equation I got in my class lecture, I think its a variation of bernoulli's.)

The Attempt at a Solution



Solved for v_L in that equation, but that's not correct.
 
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Did you check your units? You are given liters, cm, and minutes. What units are used for velocity?
 
Clearly, the speed of the water in the pipe was
\frac{295\ \ell}{5\ min} = 59\ \ell/min

But, I'm guessing you're looking for linear speed, not volumetric speed? (something along the line of 5 cm/sec, for instance).
 
Actually 59 l/min is the volumetric flow rate which will equal velocity * cross sectional area of pipe. To make the units turn out correctly you will need to convert liters to cubic meters
 

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