Question

I drink from a glass of water with a vertical straw. What's the longest straw I can use and still drink water if the ambient pressure is 1 atm? Give your answer in meters.

Details and assumptions
1 atm is 101,325 Pa.
The acceleration of gravity is −9.8 m/s2.
The density of water is 1 g/cm3.

Answer 1

(water density)*g*(max straw vertical length) = 1 atm. = 101,325 Pa.

Solve for max straw length

Hmax = 101,325/(9.8*1000 kg/m^3)
= 10.3 m

Answer 2

10.3393