Question

A giraffe with its head 1.8 m above its heart and its heart 2.0 m above its feet has a (hydrostatic) gauge pressure in the blood at its heart as 250 torr. If the giraffe were to lower its head to drink from a pond without splaying its legs and moving slowly, what would be the increase in the blood pressure in the brain?

Options:
a. 250torr
b. 500torr
c. 750torr
d. 1000torr

Answer 1

When a giraffe lowers its head to drink from a pond, the blood pressure in its brain will increase by approximately 18.612 N/m².

Step-by-step explanation:

When a giraffe lowers its head to drink from a pond, the blood pressure in its brain will increase. The increase in blood pressure can be calculated using the hydrostatic pressure equation, which states that the pressure in a fluid is equal to the density of the fluid multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity and the height of the fluid column. In this case, the increase in blood pressure in the brain can be calculated by subtracting the pressure at the heart from the pressure at the head:

ΔP = ρgh

Where:

ΔP is the increase in pressure

ρ is the density of the blood

g is the acceleration due to gravity

h is the height difference between the head and the heart

Substituting the given values, we have:

ΔP = (ρ)(g)(h)

ΔP = (1.06 g/cm³)(9.8 m/s²)(1.8 m)

ΔP ≈ 18.612 N/m²