Calculate the water pressure at the base of the Hoover Dam. The depth of water behind the dam is 220m .
Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units.
To calculate the water pressure at the base of the Hoover Dam, you can use the formula for pressure:
Pressure (P) = Density of water (ρ) × Acceleration due to gravity (g) × Height of the water column (h)
First, let's find the density of water. The density of water is approximately 1000 kg/m³.
Next, we need to determine the acceleration due to gravity. The standard value for acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s².
Lastly, we will use the given height of the water column, which is 220m.
Plugging in the values into the formula, we get:
P = 1000 kg/m³ × 9.8 m/s² × 220m
P = 2,156,000 N/m²
To express the answer to two significant figures, we round the value to:
P = 2.2 × 10⁶ N/m²
Since pressure is typically measured in pascals (Pa), 1 N/m² is equal to 1 Pa. Therefore, the answer is:
Water pressure at the base of the Hoover Dam is approximately 2.2 × 10⁶ Pa.