Daily Dose 035 | Fluid Mechanics
How to solve a simple mercury barometer problem?
If you were asked on the FE Exam to do a pressure calculation using a simple mercury barometer, would you be able to pull it off?
Maybe?
In less than the 2’ish minutes you are given?
For most, fluid measurement isn’t at the top of the list of problem types they want to see come exam day.
If “simple” seems complicated, it’s time we tackle it head-on, reinforcing your understanding so that you can solve them with confidence – fast.
In this video, we dive into a FE Exam Practice Problem in the subject of FLUID MECHANICS, specifically, dealing with determining the pressure of a liquid using a simple mercury barometer.
Key Definition
What is a BAROMETER?
A BAROMETER is a scientific instrument used to measure ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, also referred to as BAROMETRIC PRESSURE.
The simplest kind of BAROMETER, which is illustrated for us in the NCEES Reference Handbook, is a tall closed tube standing upside down in a bath of mercury.
Mercury is used in BAROMETER because it’s more convenient than using water.
Water is less dense than mercury so air pressure will lift a certain volume of water much higher up a tube than the same volume of mercury.
In other words, if you use water, you need a really tall tube and your BAROMETER will be so enormous that it’d be impractical. But if you use mercury, you can get by with a much smaller piece of equipment.
We may see PRESSURE measured in mmHg, Torr, atm, psi or the typical Pascals units.
So…
How can I solve a problem using a simple mercury barometer?
Check out the video and see how we can go about solving this type of problem in the most efficient manner.
As always, with Love, Prepineer
Video Review
How to solve a problem using a simple mercury barometer
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