Kerosene 0.5 m high is poured into the bucket. What is the bottom pressure?

Kerosene 0.5 m high is poured into the bucket. What is the bottom pressure? How will the pressure change if water is poured instead of kerosene?

The first step is to calculate the pressure exerted by a column of kerosene 0.5 m high on the bottom of the bucket. Let’s use the formula to calculate the pressure of the liquid at the bottom of the vessel:

p = g * ρ * h,

where g is the acceleration due to gravity, equal to 9.8 N / kg;

ρ is the density of the liquid, equal to 800 kg / m3 for kerosene;

h is the height of the liquid column.

Then

pк = 9.8 N / kg * 800 kg / m3 * 0.5 m = 3920 Pa.

Let’s make a similar calculation for water, the density of which is 1000 kg / m3:

pw = 9.8 N / kg * 1000 kg / m3 * 0.5 m = 4900 Pa.

As you can see, the pressure exerted by the water column is greater than that of kerosene. Let’s determine how much:

pw – pk = 4900 Pa – 3920 Pa = 980 Pa.

Answer: a column of kerosene 0.5 m high exerts a pressure equal to 3920 Pa on the bottom of the bucket, which is 980 Pa less than the pressure of the same column of water.