Pressure & Fluids: Questions Answered!

In summary, In this conversation, two students discuss their experiments on pressure in a school lab. They question whether atmospheric pressure affects the water on the bottom of a glass, and whether it is necessary to include it in calculations. They also discuss the effects of reducing atmospheric pressure inside a bell jar, and the concept of negative pressure when removing air from a container.
  • #1
scientifico
181
0

Homework Statement


Hi, this morning in the school lab we did experiments about pressure and I've some questions., could you help me? thanks!

If I fill a glass with water the atmospherical pressure press on water on top of glass because it is in contact with air, but does atmospherical pressure press on the water on bottom of glass ?
so to calculate pressure I must include the atmosperical pressure on Stevino's formula?
If mustn't, how can atm. pressure pass through the glass material and why if there is no air on the bottom?

When i pump out air from a bell jar do I progressively reduce the atmospherical pressure inside bell?
what happen if pumped out ALL the air inside (so there is no atmosperical pressure) i continue pumping out?

Ancient greek used to weigh a container full of air then squeeze it and weigh it again. So why if squeezing it the air go out the weight is the same in both ?


Thanks!


Homework Equations


P = p0 + d * g * h


The Attempt at a Solution


In my opinion in the first problem atmospheric pressure must be considerate, in the other two I've no idea.
 
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  • #2
scientifico said:

Homework Statement


Hi, this morning in the school lab we did experiments about pressure and I've some questions., could you help me? thanks!

If I fill a glass with water the atmospherical pressure press on water on top of glass because it is in contact with air, but does atmospherical pressure press on the water on bottom of glass ?
so to calculate pressure I must include the atmosperical pressure on Stevino's formula?
If mustn't, how can atm. pressure pass through the glass material and why if there is no air on the bottom?

Hi scientifico, I am not sure what is "Stevino's formula", but I assume that is the equation you posted in the relevant equations section. Yes, you need to include atmospheric pressure since at the bottom of the glass, the fluid is exerting a pressure in addition to the atmosphere exerting a pressure at the top of the liquid (remember how pressure is transmitted equally through a fluid?).

scientifico said:
When i pump out air from a bell jar do I progressively reduce the atmospherical pressure inside bell?
what happen if pumped out ALL the air inside (so there is no atmosperical pressure) i continue pumping out?

Yes you reduce the pressure inside the glass. (I think it is best to only use atmospheric pressure when you refer to the outside, just use pressure when you refer to pressures in objects, makes it easier to understand in my opinion).

After some point the pressure inside will be too small and most likely your jar may break ("implode").


scientifico said:
Ancient greek used to weigh a container full of air then squeeze it and weigh it again. So why if squeezing it the air go out the weight is the same in both ?

You mean they removed air from a container and saw that the container weighed the same as the container + air?:confused:
 
  • #3
Yes i meant the one in "Relevant equations", because I don't know how is called in english!

So doesn't exist a kind of "negative pressure"? After I remove all the air from jar we couldn't anymore speak of reduction of atmospherical pressure because there is no air, right? so what is that?

I meant something like you take a plastic bottle with air and you weigh it. you squeeze it in the way there is as minus air as possible inside and you weigh it again discovering they have the same weight.
If more of air was removed by squeezing it, why they have the same weight?


thanks!
 
  • #4
scientifico said:
Yes i meant the one in "Relevant equations", because I don't know how is called in english!

Ah right then, I never learned that with a name.

scientifico said:
So doesn't exist a kind of "negative pressure"? After I remove all the air from jar we couldn't anymore speak of reduction of atmospherical pressure because there is no air, right? so what is that?

Yeah you can think of it as negative pressure. Initially, with the jar the pressure inside the jar is P and is equal to the atmospheric pressure. As you pump air out, P < Patm. At the point where you push all the air out of the jar P= 0.

scientifico said:
I meant something like you take a plastic bottle with air and you weigh it. you squeeze it in the way there is as minus air as possible inside and you weigh it again discovering they have the same weight.
If more of air was removed by squeezing it, why they have the same weight?

In theory it should have less weight.

If the volume of the bottle is 250 ml or 250(10-6) m3 and the density of air is 1.1644 kg/m3 at 30C, the mass of air is 291.1(10-6) kg.

The mass of the plastic itself is higher than that so usually if you weigh it, you're mostly weighing the weight of the plastic in both cases. (In the first case, the mass of air is already smaller, in the second case the volume of air is smaller)
 
  • #5
Heh. What you want is to remove the air from the container leaving it at the same external volume. Otherwise, if you remove the air by crushing, you're also reducing the container's buoyancy in air, and by the same amount as the weight of the air that you've removed!.
 
  • #6
gneill said:
Otherwise, if you remove the air by crushing, you're also reducing the container's buoyancy in air, and by the same amount as the weight of the air that you've removed!.
Yes, our phisics teacher said somewhat like that but I didn't understant in that moment! :approve:
The minus an object occupe a volume the minus it receive buoyancy in a fluid, right?

So, when i reach P = 0 in a jar isn't possible pump out somethink? the only think happen is the jar implosion?Thanks!
 
  • #7
When the jar is empty, it's empty. There's nothing left to pump out. Absolute pressure is zero. There are no negative absolute pressures.
 
  • #8
so the jar should implod in a pressure between 0 and atmosherical pressure (if it support atmosperical pressure), right?
 
  • #9
scientifico said:
so the jar should implod in a pressure between 0 and atmosherical pressure (if it support atmosperical pressure), right?

Not if it's properly made. Atmospheric pressure is only about 14.7 psi. Your car tires withstand a greater pressure differential, from the inside outwards, and they're made of rubber!
 
  • #10
why do atmospheric pressure exist? Where is from that force? gravity?
However, continuing pump out in a certain point jar should implode, right?

Our teacher said he could put in the test an exercise about a full of liquid cilinder with a stopper on the bottom where i must calculate somethink considering the mass m of the stopper, in your opinion what can i calculate having the stopper mass? it's about boyounce?


Thanks!
 
  • #11
scientifico said:
why do atmospheric pressure exist? Where is from that force? gravity?
Right. It's due to the weight of the air above you.

However, continuing pump out in a certain point jar should implode, right?
No. It'll only implode if there's a fault in the glass, or if the bell jar was improperly constructed.

Our teacher said he could put in the test an exercise about a full of liquid cilinder with a stopper on the bottom where i must calculate somethink considering the mass m of the stopper, in your opinion what can i calculate having the stopper mass? it's about boyounce?
Thanks!

It would depend upon the specifics of the geometry of the stopper, and how it was seated in the hole in the bottom of the cylinder (how much of the stopper is in the water versus how much is below the bottom and/or in the air below). He'll probably ask something about how much force it would take to pull the stopper out, or what the different forces are that are acting on the stopper.
 
  • #12
if gravity attract air molecules, why don't they precipitate on the floor?
 
  • #13
scientifico said:
if gravity attract air molecules, why don't they precipitate on the floor?

That's what vacuum cleaners are for! :biggrin:

If their temperature were absolute zero, then they might precipitate to the floor (and freeze solid there). But their temperature is not absolute zero, so they bounce around and pretty impressive velocities, causing pressure, expansion,... the usual PV = nRT stuff.
 
  • #14
so if the velocity between molecules is more strong than terrestrian gravity (9,8) why doesn't atmosphere of Earth disperse?
 
  • #15
scientifico said:
so if the velocity between molecules is more strong than terrestrian gravity (9,8) why doesn't atmosphere of Earth disperse?

Velocity is not force. Why do balls bounce and not stick to the floor? Why do bouncing balls only go so high and not keep going and leave the Earth?
 
  • #16
yes but crushing continously between themself they produce a force more strong than terrestrian gravity that can make molecules leave Earth, right?
 
  • #17
scientifico said:
yes but crushing continously between themself they produce a force more strong than terrestrian gravity that can make molecules leave Earth, right?

Have a http://astro.unl.edu/naap/atmosphere/atmosphere.html" . It discusses and has demonstrations concerning atmospheric retention for planets.
 
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Related to Pressure & Fluids: Questions Answered!

1. What is pressure and how is it measured?

Pressure is a force exerted on a surface per unit area. It is measured in units of Newtons per square meter (N/m²) or Pascals (Pa). It can also be measured using other units such as atmospheres (atm) or pounds per square inch (psi).

2. How does pressure affect fluids?

Pressure affects fluids by causing them to flow from areas of high pressure to low pressure. This is known as fluid dynamics. Pressure also plays a role in determining the density of fluids and their behavior under different conditions.

3. What factors can affect pressure in a fluid?

The pressure in a fluid can be affected by the depth of the fluid, the density of the fluid, and the force applied to the fluid. Other factors such as temperature and the type of fluid can also have an impact on pressure.

4. How does the shape of an object affect pressure?

The shape of an object can affect pressure by changing the distribution of force on the surface. For example, a curved surface may experience different pressure than a flat surface, and this can impact the movement of fluids around the object.

5. How does Bernoulli's principle relate to pressure and fluids?

Bernoulli's principle states that as the velocity of a fluid increases, its pressure decreases. This is why airplanes can fly and boats can sail, as the shape and movement of their wings and sails create areas of high and low pressure that allow them to move through the air or water.

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