Problem Sheet No 1

Topic: Introduction and Properties

1. A 3-kg plastic tank that has a volume of 0.2 m3 is filled with liquid water. Assuming the density of
water is 1000 kg/m3, determine the weight of the combined system.

2. Determine the mass and the weight of the air contained in a room whose dimensions are 6 m*3 *6 m
8 m. Assume the density of the air is 1.16 kg/m3.

3. The value of the gravitational acceleration "g" decreases with elevation from 9.807 m/s2 at sea level
to 9.767 m/s2 at an altitude of 13,000 m, where large passenger planes cruise. Determine the percent
reduction in the weight of an airplane cruising at 13,000 m relative to its weight at sea level.

4. A large fraction of the thermal energy generated in the engine of a car is rejected to the air by the
radiator through the circulating water. Should the radiator be analyzed as a closed system or as an open
system? Explain.

5. A can of soft drink at room temperature is put into the refrigerator so that it will cool. Would you
model the can of soft drink as a closed system or as an open system? Explain.

6. What is the difference between intensive and extensive properties?

7. For a system to be in thermodynamic equilibrium, do the temperature and the pressure have to be
the same everywhere?

8. Define the isothermal, isobaric, and isochoric processes.

9. What is the state postulate?

10. Is the state of the air in an isolated room completely specified by the temperature and the pressure?
Explain.

11. Consider an alcohol and a mercury thermometer that read exactly 0°C at the ice point and 100°C at
the steam point. The distance between the two points is divided into 100 equal parts in both
thermometers. Do you think these thermometers will give exactly the same reading at a temperature
of, say, 60°C? Explain.

12. The deep body temperature of a healthy person is 37°C. What is it in kelvins?

13. Consider a system whose temperature is 18°C. Express this temperature in R, K, and °F.

14. Consider two closed systems A and B. System A contains 3000 kJ of thermal energy at 20°C, whereas
system B contains 200 kJ of thermal energy at 50°C. Now the systems are brought into contact with each
other. Determine the direction of any heat transfer between the two systems.

15. What is the difference between gauge pressure and absolute pressure?

16. Someone claims that the absolute pressure in a liquid of constant density doubles when the depth is
doubled. Do you agree? Explain.

17. A vacuum gauge connected to a chamber reads 35 kPa at a location where the atmospheric pressure
is 92 kPa. Determine the absolute pressure in the chamber.

18. A manometer is used to measure the air pressure in a tank. The fluid used has a specific gravity of
1.25, and the differential height between the two arms of the manometer is 28 in. If the local
atmospheric pressure is 12.7 psia, determine the absolute pressure in the tank for the cases of the
manometer arm with the (a) higher and (b) lower fluid level being attached to the tank.

19. Determine the atmospheric pressure at a location where the barometric reading is 750 mm Hg. Take
the density of mercury to be 13,600 kg/m3.

20. The gauge pressure in a liquid at a depth of 3 m is read to be 28 kPa. Determine the gage pressure in
the same liquid at a depth of 9 m.

21. The absolute pressure in water at a depth of 5 m is read to be 145 kPa. Determine (a) the local
atmospheric pressure, and (b) the absolute pressure at a depth of 5 m in a liquid whose specific gravity
is 0.85 at the same location.

22. Consider a 70-kg woman who has a total foot imprint area of 400 cm2. She wishes to walk on the
snow, but the snow cannot withstand pressures greater than 0.5 kPa. Determine the minimum size of
the snowshoes needed (imprint area per shoe) to enable her to walk on the snow without sinking.

23. A vacuum gauge connected to a tank reads 15 kPa at a location where the barometric reading is 750
mm Hg. Determine the absolute pressure in the tank. Take ρHg 13,590 kg/m3.

24. A pressure gauge connected to a tank reads 500 kPa at a location where the atmospheric pressure is
94 kPa. Determine the absolute pressure in the tank.

25. The barometer of a mountain hiker reads 930 mbars at the beginning of a hiking trip and 780 mbars
at the end. Neglecting the effect of altitude on local gravitational acceleration, determine the vertical
distance climbed. Assume an average air density of 1.20 kg/m3.
26. The basic barometer can be used to measure the height of a building. If the barometric readings at
the top and at the bottom of a building are 730 and 755 mm Hg, respectively, determine the height of
the building. Take the densities of air and mercury to be 1.18 kg/m3 and 13,600 kg/m3, respectively.

27. Determine the pressure exerted on a diver at 30 m below the free surface of the sea. Assume a
barometric pressure of 101 kPa and a specific gravity of 1.03 for seawater.

28. A gas is contained in a vertical, frictionless piston–cylinder device. The piston has a mass of 4 kg and
a cross-sectional area of 35 cm2. A compressed spring above the piston exerts a force of 60 N on the
piston. If the atmospheric pressure is 95 kPa, determine the pressure inside the cylinder.

29. Blood pressure is usually measured by wrapping a closed air-filled jacket equipped with a pressure
gage around the upper arm of a person at the level of the heart. Using a mercury manometer and a
stethoscope, the systolic pressure (the maximum pressure when the heart is pumping) and the diastolic
pressure (the minimum pressure when the heart is resting) are measured in mm Hg. The systolic and
diastolic pressures of a healthy person are about 120 mm Hg and 80 mm Hg, respectively, and are
indicated as 120/80. Express both of these gage pressures in kPa, psi, and meter water column.

30. The maximum blood pressure in the upper arm of a healthy person is about 120 mm of Hg. If a
vertical tube open to the atmosphere is connected to the vein in the arm of the person, determine how
high the blood will rise in the tube. Take the density of the blood to be 1050 kg/m3.

31. hydraulic lift is to be used to lift a 2500 kg weight by putting a weight of 25 kg on a piston with a
diameter of 10 cm. Determine the diameter of the piston on which the weight is to be placed.
32. A vertical piston–cylinder device contains a gas at a pressure of 100 kPa. The piston has a mass of 5
kg and a diameter of 12 cm. Pressure of the gas is to be increased by placing some weights on the
piston. Determine the local atmospheric pressure and the mass of the weights that will double the
pressure of the gas inside the cylinder.

33. The pilot of an airplane reads the altitude 3000 m and the absolute pressure 58 kPa when flying over
a city. Calculate the local atmospheric pressure in that city in kPa and in mm Hg. Take the densities of air
and mercury to be 1.15 kg/m3 and 13,600 kg/m3, respectively.

34. An air-conditioning system requires a 20-m-long section of 15-cm diameter duct work to be laid
underwater. Determine the upward force the water will exert on the duct. Take the densities of air and
water to be 1.3 kg/m3 and 1000 kg/m3, respectively.

35. The pressure in a steam boiler is given to be 92 kgf/cm2. Express this pressure in psi, kPa, atm, and
bars.
36. The basic barometer can be used as an altitude measuring device in airplanes. The ground control
reports a barometric reading of 753 mm Hg while the pilot’s reading is 690 mm Hg. Estimate the altitude
of the plane from ground level if the average air density is 1.20 kg/m3.

37. A glass tube is attached to a water pipe, as shown in Fig. below. If the water pressure at the bottom
of the tube is 115 kPa and the local atmospheric pressure is 92 kPa, determine how high the water will
rise in the tube, in m. Take the density of water to be 1000 kg/m3.

38. The average atmospheric pressure on earth is approximated as a function of altitude by the relation
Patm 101.325 (1- 0.02256z)5.256, where Patm is the atmospheric pressure in kPa and z is the altitude in
km with z=0 at sea level. Determine the approximate atmospheric pressures at Atlanta (z= 306 m),
Denver (z= 1610 m), Mexico City (z= 2309 m), and the top of Mount Everest (z= 8848 m).

39. Intravenous infusions are usually driven by gravity by hanging the fluid bottle at sufficient height to
counteract the blood pressure in the vein and to force the fluid into the body. The higher the bottle is
raised, the higher the flow rate of the fluid will be. (a) If it is observed that the fluid and the blood
pressures balance each other when the bottle is 1.2 m above the arm level, determine the gage pressure
of the blood. (b) If the gage pressure of the fluid at the arm level needs to be 20 kPa for sufficient flow
rate, determine how high the bottle must be placed. Take the density of the fluid to be 1020 kg/m3.

40. Pressure transducers are commonly used to measure pressure by generating analog signals usually
in the range of 4 mA to 20 mA or 0 V-dc to 10 V-dc in response to applied pressure. The system whose
schematic is shown below can be used to calibrate pressure transducers. A rigid container is filled with
pressurized air, and pressure is measured by the manometer attached. A valve is used to regulate the
pressure in the container. Both the pressure and the electric signal are measured simultaneously for
various settings, and the results are tabulated. For the given set of measurements, obtain the calibration
curve in the form of P= a.I+b where a and b are constants, and calculate the pressure that corresponds
to a signal of 10 mA.