How much pressure does one foot of water create at the base of a container?

The correct answer is based on the principle of hydrostatic pressure, which states that the pressure at the base of a column of fluid is determined by the height of the fluid column, the density of the fluid, and the acceleration due to gravity. For water, at standard conditions, the pressure created by one foot of water is approximately 0.433 PSI.

This value is derived from the formula for pressure:

[ P = \rho \cdot g \cdot h ]

where ( P ) is pressure, ( \rho ) is the density of the fluid (weight of a cubic foot of water is around 62.4 pounds), ( g ) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 32.2 feet per second squared), and ( h ) is the height of the fluid column in feet.

Substituting the values into the formula:

1. The weight of water per cubic foot is about 62.4 pounds.

2. The height of the water column is 1 foot.

Thus, the pressure created is roughly:

[ P = 62.4 \text{ lbs/ft}^3 \cdot \frac{1 \text{ ft}}{144 \text{ in}