A high-pressure water sprayer operates at 2 gal/min. If the diameter of the

Question

A high-pressure water sprayer operates at 2 gal/min. If the diameter of the opening on the nozzle is 0.025 in, what is the velocity of the spray?

 

Answer in MPH

Answer 1

Hi Jason,

 

To solve for velocity, we need to use the equation that relates flow rate (volume per unit time) to area and velocity.

 

That equation is         flow rate = area X velocity

 

Since flow rate's given in gallons per minute, we need to convert gallons to cubic miles and convert minutes to hours.

1 gal = 1.816337166914 X 10^-12 mi³ 

1 minute = 1/ 60 hours

 

Since the diameter is given in inches we need to convert it to miles by using 1 in = 1.5782828 X 10^-5 mi.

We can then solve for the area of the nozzle in miles by using the area formula of a circle (pi X r²).

 

After these conversions we can plug the flow rate and area into the equation and solve for velocity.