Final answer:
A 10 cm high column of mercury exerts a pressure of 1333.6 Pascals, calculated using the hydrostatic pressure formula p = hρg, with h being the height in meters, ρ the density in kg/m³, and g the gravitational acceleration.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking how to calculate the pressure exerted by a 10 cm high column of mercury, given its density. To calculate the Pressure exerted by a column of liquid, typically the hydrostatic pressure formula p = hρg is used, where p is the pressure, h is the height of the liquid column, ρ (rho) is the density of the fluid, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²).
In this case, the student is provided that the density of mercury is 13600 kg/m³. Since the height of the mercury column is given in centimeters, it needs to be converted to meters: 10 cm is 0.1 meters. Applying the formula:
pressure = ( P) hρg
= 0.1 m * 13600 kg/m³ * 9.81 m/s²
= 1333.6 pa (Pascals)
Hence, a 10 cm high column of mercury exerts a pressure of 1333.6 Pascals on a surface.