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Chemistry Faculty Publications

2010

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Full-Text Articles in Physics

What Is Wrong With Water Barometers?, Dan Sullivan, Robert W. Smith, E. J. Kemnitz, Kevin Barton, Robert M. Graham, Raymond A. Guenther, Larry Webber Jan 2010

What Is Wrong With Water Barometers?, Dan Sullivan, Robert W. Smith, E. J. Kemnitz, Kevin Barton, Robert M. Graham, Raymond A. Guenther, Larry Webber

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Every student who studies atmospheric pressure in physics or chemistry learns the principles behind the construction of barometers. Cistern barometers, such as those found in most laboratories, consist of a long glass tube containing an inverted column of liquid having an open end in a cistern of the liquid. Students learn that the column of liquid is supported by air pressure and is equal in weight to a column of air of the same diameter.