Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a geodetic datum.
It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance (or bottom) of a piezometer. In an aquifer, it can be calculated from the depth to water in a piezometric well (a specialized water well), and given information of the piezometer's elevation and screen depth. Hydraulic head can similarly be measured in a column of water using a standpipe piezometer by measuring the height of the water surface in the tube relative to a common datum. The hydraulic head can be used to determine a hydraulic gradient between two or more points.
Read more about Hydraulic Head: "Head" in Fluid Dynamics, Components of Hydraulic Head, Hydraulic Gradient, Hydraulic Head in Groundwater, Head Loss, Analogs To Other Fields
Famous quotes containing the word head:
“When we stand the truth on its head we generally fail to notice that our head is not standing where it should be standing either.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)