Measuring Gas Pressure with a Manometer
A manometer is a device which is used to measure the pressure of a gas and which uses the principle that the pressure in a liquid with a given weight density is the same at all points in the liquid which are at the same depth. A manometer is often designed so that it is made up of a curved tube which is connected to a gas at one end and open to the atmosphere at the other. The tube is filled with a liquid with a known density, and the tube is marked so that the user can measure the height of the liquid in the tube. The known density of the liquid and the height of the column of the liquid can then be used to calculate the pressure of the gas using the following formula:
gas pressure = ( 1 atm) + (the density of the liquid) x (the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity) x ( the height of the column of liquid).
See the images below to learn how a manometer measures gas pressure.
gas pressure = ( 1 atm) + (the density of the liquid) x (the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity) x ( the height of the column of liquid).
See the images below to learn how a manometer measures gas pressure.