Head is a measure of what in a pumping system?

• A. Pressure expressed in feet of water
• B. Temperature
• C. Flow rate
• D. Color

Answer: (A)

Head in a pumping system is the energy available to move water, expressed as the height of a column of water. This concept links pressure to a height: the pressure at a point in the fluid can be thought of as the height of water that would produce that same pressure. That’s why head is measured in feet of water. It reflects what the pump must overcome, including static lift (how high the water must be raised) and friction losses in the piping. Temperature, flow rate, and color do not describe the pressure or energy the pump provides, so they aren’t used to define head.