Fire Apparatus Operations And Hydraulics Practice Test

In the friction loss formula FL = C × Q² × L, what does Q represent?

Flow rate in hundreds of GPM (GPM/100) Friction loss coefficient Length of hose in hundreds of feet Pressure drop per 100 feet

Correct Answer:

Flow rate in hundreds of GPM (GPM/100)

Explanation:

The amount of water moving through the hose is what sets friction loss. In this formula, Q is the flow rate, but it's expressed in units of hundreds of gallons per minute. So if you actually run 200 GPM, Q = 2; at 750 GPM, Q = 7.5. The length term L represents how long the hose is, in hundreds of feet (e.g., 300 ft → L = 3). The constant C is the friction loss coefficient that depends on hose diameter and roughness, adjusting the relationship for that specific hose. So the reason this is the best description for Q is that it directly represents the flow rate, scaled to keep the numbers manageable in the equation.

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