The pressure created by a column of water due to elevation is known as ______.

The pressure created by a column of water due to elevation is known as ______.

• A. Head pressure
• B. Normal operating pressure
• C. Residual pressure
• D. Flow pressure

Answer: (A)

Head pressure is the right idea here. In a fluid at rest, the weight of the water above a point creates pressure that increases with the height of the column. This hydrostatic pressure can be described as the pressure produced by a water column of height h, and it’s commonly referred to as head pressure (or pressure head). The relationship is p = ρ g h, so pressure scales with the elevation of the water column, and talking in terms of head means you’re connecting elevation to pressure directly. This is different from normal operating pressure (a general system pressure during use), residual pressure (pressure left after flow stops), or flow pressure (dynamic pressure caused by flow). For example, a 10 m water column exerts about 98 kPa of pressure at the bottom, illustrating how elevation translates to pressure.

Head pressure is the right idea here. In a fluid at rest, the weight of the water above a point creates pressure that increases with the height of the column. This hydrostatic pressure can be described as the pressure produced by a water column of height h, and it’s commonly referred to as head pressure (or pressure head). The relationship is p = ρ g h, so pressure scales with the elevation of the water column, and talking in terms of head means you’re connecting elevation to pressure directly.

This is different from normal operating pressure (a general system pressure during use), residual pressure (pressure left after flow stops), or flow pressure (dynamic pressure caused by flow). For example, a 10 m water column exerts about 98 kPa of pressure at the bottom, illustrating how elevation translates to pressure.