What is the HG equivalent of a 34-foot column of water?

Study for the Massachusetts 3rd Class Engineer Exam. Access flashcards and multiple choice questions with hints and explanations. Prepare for success on your exam!

To determine the HG equivalent of a 34-foot column of water, it is important to understand the relationship between columns of water and mercury (HG). Water and mercury differ in density, which is crucial for conversions.

The density of mercury is approximately 13.6 times greater than that of water. Thus, when we need to convert a height of water to an equivalent height of mercury, we can use the following formula:

Height of water (in feet) x (Density of water / Density of mercury) = Height of mercury (in inches)

Given that the density of water is 62.4 lb/ft³ and the density of mercury is 849 lb/ft³, the conversion factor comes from the ratio:

1 ft of water is approximately equal to 0.1333 ft (or 1.56 inches) of mercury.

Therefore, for a 34-foot column of water:

34 ft water x (1 ft Hg / 13.6 ft water) = approximately 2.5 ft Hg.

The task is usually to convert this to inches of Hg for precision in measuring devices. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, we convert 2.5 feet of mercury into inches, leading to approximately

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