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:
“The human spirit is itself the most wonderful fairy tale that can possibly be. What a magnificent world lies enclosed within our bosoms! No solar orbit hems it in, the inexhaustible wealth of the total visible creation is outweighed by its riches!”
—E.T.A.W. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Wilhelm)
“This is a catastrophic universe, always; and subject to sudden reversals, upheavals, changes, cataclysms, with joy never anything but the song of substance under pressure forced into new forms and shapes.”
—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)