Water in the lake behind hoover dam is 221 m deep. part a what is the gauge water pressure at the base of the dam?

The gauge water pressure at the base of the dam is about 2.17 × 10⁶ Pa

Let's recall Hydrostatic Pressure formula as follows:

where:

P = hydrosatic pressure ( Pa )

ρ = density of  fluid ( kg/m³ )

g = gravitational acceleration ( m/s² )

h = height of a column of liquid ( m )

Let us now tackle the problem!

Given:

depth of the lake = h = 221 m

Asked:

gauge water pressure = P = ?

Solution:

We will use Hydrostatic Pressure formula above to calculate the gauge water pressure at the base of the dam as follows:

→ rounded to 3 significant figures

The gauge water pressure at the base of the dam is about 2.17 × 10⁶ Pa

Grade: High School

Subject: Physics

Chapter: Pressure

3.2x10^7