[Physics] Does water temperature affect hydrostatic pressure of fixed mass of water in open vessel

pressurewater

Lets say I have a pressure transducer sitting at the bottom of an open-topped 5-gallon bucket (assume its a vertical-walled cylinder). The transducer is measuring the gage pressure of the water column.

If the temperature of the water fluctuates (assume uniformly throughout volume, no evaporation) will I see a corresponding fluctuation in the output of the pressure transducer?

I understand that pressure is $p=\rho g h$, so pressure is proportional to density, which changes with temperature. But volume is also proportional do density for a fixed mass, so I think that with a vertical walled cylinder, where $h$ is proportional to volume, the measured pressure will not change because the increase in $h$ will compensate for the proportional decrease in $\rho$. Is this correct? If I had, say a conical vessel, would the answer be different?

Best Answer

The answer depends on the shape of the vessel.

For a vessel with constant section, the weight of the column of water above your transducer is unaffected. But when you have a conical vessel, some of the mass is no longer "directly above" your transducer as the liquid expands. If the cone gets wider, you will feel less weight; if it tapers narrower you will feel more weight.

Related Question