Define hydraulic head and its components.

Define hydraulic head and its components.

• A. The hydraulic head is energy per unit weight; the total head is the sum of static head, velocity head, and pressure head.
• B. The hydraulic head is energy per unit weight; only the static head is needed to describe energy changes.
• C. The hydraulic head is energy per unit weight; the total head equals the sum of static head, velocity head, and pressure head.
• D. The hydraulic head is the height of the fluid column and has no velocity component.

Answer: (C)

Hydraulic head is energy per unit weight of the fluid. In a flowing fluid, that energy splits into three parts: elevation (static) head, pressure head, and velocity head. The total head at a point is the sum of these three components: H = z + p/(ρg) + v^2/(2g). So the statement that the hydraulic head is energy per unit weight and that the total head equals the sum of static head, velocity head, and pressure head is the correct framing. This reflects the Bernoulli idea that along a streamline the energy per unit weight is conserved and redistributed among height, pressure, and velocity. The alternative that only static head matters ignores the energy tied up in velocity and pressure, and the idea that there is no velocity component is incorrect for moving fluids.

Hydraulic head is energy per unit weight of the fluid. In a flowing fluid, that energy splits into three parts: elevation (static) head, pressure head, and velocity head. The total head at a point is the sum of these three components: H = z + p/(ρg) + v^2/(2g). So the statement that the hydraulic head is energy per unit weight and that the total head equals the sum of static head, velocity head, and pressure head is the correct framing. This reflects the Bernoulli idea that along a streamline the energy per unit weight is conserved and redistributed among height, pressure, and velocity. The alternative that only static head matters ignores the energy tied up in velocity and pressure, and the idea that there is no velocity component is incorrect for moving fluids.