Which pressure is exerted by a water column that is 100 feet high?

To determine the pressure exerted by a water column that is 100 feet high, one can use the hydrostatic pressure formula:

[ P = \rho \cdot g \cdot h ]

where:

• ( P ) is the pressure in pounds per square foot (psf),

• ( \rho ) is the density of water (approximately 62.4 pounds per cubic foot),

• ( g ) is the acceleration due to gravity (which can be approximated to 32.2 feet per second squared), and

• ( h ) is the height of the water column in feet.

For practical calculations involving a height of 100 feet, the equivalent pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) can be calculated, knowing that there are 144 square inches in a square foot:

1. Convert the height into pressure:

[

P = 62.4 , \text{lb/ft}^3 \times 100 , \text{ft} = 6240 , \text{lb/ft}^2

]

2. Convert from pounds per square foot to pounds per square inch:

[

P = \frac{6240