A plant has a water tank mounted on a platform. What would the water level in the tank be if a pressure gauge on the first floor reads 40 psi?

To determine the water level in the tank based on the pressure gauge reading, you can use the relationship between pressure and water column height. Specifically, water pressure can be calculated using the formula:

[ P = \rho \cdot g \cdot h ]

where ( P ) is the pressure (in psi), ( \rho ) is the density of water (approximately 62.4 lb/ft³), ( g ) is the acceleration due to gravity (which can be factored into the density for such calculations), and ( h ) is the height of the water column in feet.

To convert psi to feet of water, you can use the conversion factor:

1 psi = 2.31 feet of water.

Given a pressure gauge reading of 40 psi, you multiply this by the conversion factor:

[ 40 , \text{psi} \times 2.31 , \text{feet/psi} = 92.4 , \text{feet} ]

This height would represent the static water column height. However, if you are looking for the actual reading at a specific point (like the first floor in this case), you need to consider any elevation difference. In this