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Chapter 5: Problem 7

Explain how a unit of length (mmHg) can be used as a unit for pressure.

Short Answer

Expert verified
A unit of length (mmHg) can be used as a unit for pressure because it represents the force per unit area exerted by a column of mercury of that height. Pressure is conceptualized as the force exerted by the liquid column on the unit area due to the force of gravity. Thus, 1 mmHg pressure means that each square meter area is subjected to a force equivalent to the weight of a 1 mm high column of mercury.

Step by step solution

01

Fundamental Understanding

Firstly, it is important to understand what pressure is in terms of physics. Pressure in physics and engineering is defined as the amount of force being applied per unit area, which is measured in units such as Pascals (Pa), bars, atmospheres (atm), or mmHg. The unit mmHg comes from the practice of measuring atmospheric pressure with a mercury barometer, where the height of the mercury column can be used as a measure of the atmospheric pressure.
02

Understanding mmHg

Clarifying the unit mmHg, mm is a millimeter, which is a unit of length and Hg is the chemical symbol for mercury. It represents the pressure generated by a millimeter (mm) column of mercury (Hg) at a specific temperature and gravity.
03

Conversion into Pressure

Pressure is force per unit area. In terms of mmHg, the weight of the column of mercury of height 1 mm and base 1 square meter creates a certain amount of force due to gravity, and when divided by 1 square meter (which is the area over which this force is distributed), we get the pressure exerted by this column of mercury, which by definition is 1 mmHg. Hence unit of length can be expressed as unit of pressure.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A relation known as the barometric formula is useful for estimating the change in atmospheric pressure with altitude. The formula is given by \(P=P_{0} e^{-g .1 h / R T},\) where \(P\) and \(P_{0}\) are the pressures at height \(h\) and sea level, respectively; \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity \(\left(9.8 \mathrm{~m} / \mathrm{s}^{2}\right) ; \mathscr{M}\) is the average molar mass of air \((29.0 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{mol}) ;\) and \(R\) is the gas constant. Calculate the atmospheric pressure in atm at a height of \(5.0 \mathrm{~km}\), assuming the temperature is constant at \(5^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and \(P_{0}=1.0 \mathrm{~atm} .\)

Calculate the density of hydrogen bromide (HBr) gas in grams per liter at \(733 \mathrm{mmHg}\) and \(46^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\).

A certain anesthetic contains 64.9 percent \(\mathrm{C}, 13.5\) percent \(\mathrm{H},\) and 21.6 percent \(\mathrm{O}\) by mass. At \(120^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and \(750 \mathrm{mmHg}, 1.00 \mathrm{~L}\) of the gaseous compound weighs \(2.30 \mathrm{~g}\). What is the molecular formula of the compound?

The temperature of \(2.5 \mathrm{~L}\) of a gas initially at \(\mathrm{STP}\) is raised to \(250^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) at constant volume. Calculate the final pressure of the gas in atm.

The density of a mixture of fluorine and chlorine gases is \(1.77 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{L}\) at \(14^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and 0.893 atm. Calculate the mass percent of the gases.
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