FLUID MECHANICS

PHY031
PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS
Pressure is due to the net force of the
molecules in a fluid colliding with the walls.

A very large number of

collisions happen each
second.

Each collision exerts a tiny net

force on the wall.
 Definition: Pressure
A fluid in a container presses with an outward force
against the walls of that container. The pressure is
defined as the ratio of the force to the area on which the
force is exerted.

The SI units of pressure are N/m2, also defined as the

pascal, where 1 pascal = 1 Pa = 1 N/m2.
Other units:
1 atm = 1.01325 x 105 Pa
=760 mmHg =14.7 psi
 Atmospheric Pressure

The global average

sea-level pressure is
Pa, or 1 atm.
 3. Calculate the hydrostatic difference in blood
pressure between the brain and the foot in a
person of height 1.83m. The density of the
blood is 1.06 x 103 kg/m3 .
4. A tall cylinder with a cross sectional area of
12.0 cm2 is partially filled with mercury; the
surface of the mercury is 5.00 cm above the
bottom of the cylinder. Water is slowly poured
in on top of the mercury, and the two fluids
don’t mix. What volume of water must be
added to double the gauge pressure at the
bottom of the cylinder?
 6. A u-shaped tube open to the air at both ends contains
some mercury. A quantity of water is carefully poured into the
left arm of the u-shaped tube until the vertical height of the
water column is 15.0 cm. a) What is the gauge pressure at the
water-mercury interface? B) Calculate the vertical distance h
from the top of mercury in the right hand arm of the tube to the
top of the water in the left hand arm.
#31/p381. An iron anchor of density 7870
kg/m3 appears 200N lighter in water than in
air. a) What is the volume of the anchor?
b) How much does it weigh in the air?
• A raft is constructed of wood having a density
of 6.00 x 102 kg/m3 . Its surface area is 5.70
m2 and its volume is 0.60 m3. When the raft is
placed in fresh water, to what depth h is the
bottom of the raft submerged?
#41/382. A hollow spherical iron shell floats
almost completely submerged in water. The
outer diameter is 60.0 cm, and the density of
iron is 7.87 g/cm3. Find the inner diameter.
13.56 Water is flowing in a pipe as depicted in the
figure. What pressure is indicated on the upper
pressure gauge?
#55/p.383 Water is moving with a speed of 5.0
m/s through a pipe with a cross sectional area
of 4.0 cm2. The water gradually descends 10m
as the pipe cross sectional area increases to
8.0 cm2. a) What is the speed at the lower
level? B) If the pressure at the upper level is
1.5x105 Pa, what is the pressure at the lower
level?
# 56 The intake in the figure has cross sectional area of
0.74 m2 and water flow at 0.40 m/s. At the outlet,
distance D= 180 m below the intake , the cross
sectional area is smaller than at the intake and the
water flows out at 9.5 m/s. What is the pressure
difference between inlet and outlet?
#57/p.383 A water pipe having a 2.5 cm inside
diameter carries water into the basement of a
house at a speed of 0.90 m/s and a pressure
of 170 Kpa. If the pipe tapers to 1.2 cm and
rises to the second floor 7.6 m above the
input point, what are the a)speed and b)
water pressure at the second floor?