Total Pressure

In physics, the term total pressure may indicate two different quantities, both having the dimensions of a pressure:

  • In fluid dynamics, total pressure refers to the sum of static pressure p, dynamic pressure q, and gravitational head, as expressed by Bernoulli's principle:
where ρ is the density of the fluid, g is the local acceleration due to gravity, and z is the height above a datum.
If the variation in height above the datum is zero, or so small it can be ignored, the above equation reduces to the following simplified form:
  • In a mixture of ideal gases, total pressure refers to the sum of each gas' partial pressure.

Famous quotes containing the words total and/or pressure:

    You need an infinite stretch of time ahead of you to start to think, infinite energy to make the smallest decision. The world is getting denser. The immense number of useless projects is bewildering. Too many things have to be put in to balance up an uncertain scale. You can’t disappear anymore. You die in a state of total indecision.
    Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)

    The mother whose self-image is dependent on her children places on those children the responsibility for her own identity, and her involvement in the details of their lives can put great pressure on the children. A child suffers when everything he or she does is extremely important to a parent; this kind of over-involvement can turn even a small problem into a crisis.
    Grace Baruch (20th century)