Practice question · Numerical answer
A tree moves water from its roots to leaves 30 m above ground. Atmospheric pressure can support a water column of about 10 m. How many times taller than that limit is the tree?
Hints
- Divide the tree height by the height atmospheric pressure alone could support.
- Compute 30 divided by 10.
Show the answer
3 (answers within ±0.1 count)
Why
The tree is 3 times taller than a pressure-driven column could reach. That is precisely why the cohesion-tension mechanism is needed: water is pulled from above under tension, not pushed from below.
Practise The Colonisation of Land
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