A tank contains three immiscible liquids stacked on top of each other. The layers consist of water (density 1 g cm ⁻³ ), an oil (density 0.8 g cm ⁻³ ), and mercury (density 13.6 g cm ⁻³ ), each having a column height of 10 cm . What is the height of a pure water column that would exert the exact same hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the tank?

Step-by-step solution

The total hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the tank is the sum of the pressures exerted by each liquid layer. P_ total = _ water g h + _ oil g h + _ mercury g h P_ total = (1 + 0.8 + 13.6) g 10 P_ total = 15.4 10 g = 154 g For an equivalent pure water column of height H_ equiv : P_ water = _ water g H_ equiv = 1 g H_ equiv Equating the pressures: 1 g H_ equiv = 154 g H_ equiv = 154 cm Answer: 154 cm