Pressure at Top of the Column Formula |
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\( p_t \;=\; \rho \cdot g \cdot h - p_b \) (Pressure at the Top of the Column) \( \rho \;=\; \dfrac{ p_b - p_t }{ g \cdot h }\) \( g \;=\; \dfrac{ p_b - p_t }{ \rho \cdot h }\) \( h \;=\; \dfrac{ p_b - p_t }{ \rho \cdot g }\) \( p_b \;=\; p_t + \rho \cdot g \cdot h \) |
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| Units | English | Metric |
| \( p_t \) = Pressure at the Top of the Column | \(lbf \;/\; in^2\) | \(Pa\) |
| \( \rho \) (Greek symbol rho) = Fluid Density | \(lbm \;/\; ft^3\) | \(kg \;/\; m^3\) |
| \( g \) = Gravitational Acceleration | \(ft \;/\; sec^2\) | \(m \;/\; s^2\) |
| \( h \) = Height of Depth of the Liquid Column | \(ft\) | \(m\) |
| \( p_b \) = Pressure at the Bottom of the Column | \(lbf \;/\; in^2\) | \(Pa\) |
Pressure at the top of a column of fluid is the pressure exerted on the surface of that fluid. If the column is open to the atmosphere, the pressure at the top will be the atmospheric pressure. This is the force per unit area exerted by the weight of the air above the surface. If the column is in a closed container, the pressure at the top could be different, depending on the pressure of any gas or mechanical force applied to the surface of the fluid within that container. In essence, the pressure at the top serves as a baseline pressure that is then added to the hydrostatic pressure resulting from the fluid's depth to determine the total pressure at any point within the column.
