9. (a) Calculate the absolute pressure at the bottom of a fresh-water lake at a depth of 30.8 m. Assume the density of the water is 1,000 kg/m3 and the air above is at a pressure of 101,300 Pa. (b) Calculate the force exerted by the water on the window of an underwater vehicle at this depth if the window is circular and has a diameter of 29.5 cm.
Fluid Pressure
The term fluid pressure is coined as, the measurement of the force per unit area of a given surface of a closed container. It is a branch of physics that helps to study the properties of fluid under various conditions of force.
Gauge Pressure
Pressure is the physical force acting per unit area on a body; the applied force is perpendicular to the surface of the object per unit area. The air around us at sea level exerts a pressure (atmospheric pressure) of about 14.7 psi but this doesn’t seem to bother anyone as the bodily fluids are constantly pushing outwards with the same force but if one swims down into the ocean a few feet below the surface one can notice the difference, there is increased pressure on the eardrum, this is due to an increase in hydrostatic pressure.
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### Physics Problem: Calculating Pressure and Force Underwater
**Problem 9:**
**(a)** Calculate the absolute pressure at the bottom of a freshwater lake at a depth of 30.8 m. Assume the density of the water is 1,000 kg/m³ and the air above is at a pressure of 101,300 Pa.
**(b)** Calculate the force exerted by the water on the window of an underwater vehicle at this depth if the window is circular and has a diameter of 29.5 cm.
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#### Explanation:
This problem involves understanding the concepts of fluid mechanics, specifically pressure and force in a fluid. To solve part (a), you will use the formula for calculating the absolute pressure at a certain depth in a fluid. For part (b), you will use the calculated pressure to determine the force exerted on the window of the vehicle.
1. **Absolute Pressure Calculation (Part a)**
The absolute pressure at a given depth in a fluid can be calculated with the following formula:
\[ P_{\text{absolute}} = P_{\text{atm}} + \rho g h \]
where:
- \( P_{\text{absolute}} \) is the absolute pressure.
- \( P_{\text{atm}} \) is the atmospheric pressure (101,300 Pa in this case).
- \( \rho \) is the density of the fluid (1,000 kg/m³ for freshwater).
- \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²).
- \( h \) is the depth of the fluid (30.8 m in this case).
2. **Force on the Window (Part b)**
The force exerted by the water on the window can be found using the formula:
\[ F = P \cdot A \]
where:
- \( F \) is the force.
- \( P \) is the pressure at the given depth (calculated in part a).
- \( A \) is the area of the window.
The area \( A \) of a circular window is given by:
\[ A = \pi \left(\frac{d}{2}\right)^2 \]
where \( d \) is the diameter of the window (29.5 cm, converted to meters as 0.295 m).
By solving these equations, you will be able to determine the desired absolute pressure and the force on the window at the specified depth](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F5498129d-fa90-4054-9767-1cffe54599e5%2F84e83e00-b2b7-4301-a6ea-06a32b88ea50%2F1vgtxo_processed.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
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