Physics I / Fluid Statics: Pressure and Buoyancy
Practice question · Multiple choice

Pressure in a fluid depends on depth but not on the shape or volume of the container. Why does a narrow tube exert the same pressure as a wide tank at equal depth?

Hints
  1. Ask what the fluid directly above a point actually weighs on it.
  2. The hydrostatic paradox is worth picturing here.
Show the answer

C. Because pressure depends only on the height of the column

Why

Only the column height enters P=ρghP = \rho g h. This is why a thin tube of water can burst a barrel, and why hydraulic systems multiply force the way they do.

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