Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Three vessels have the same base area, , and hold water to the same depth, . One has upright sides, one widens upward, and one narrows upward. Find the gauge pressure and the force on each base. Why can the force on the base differ from the weight of the water in it?
Pressure is force per unit area, , in pascal. Below the surface of a liquid, ; the gauge pressure is . Pascal's law: a change of pressure in an enclosed fluid reaches every part of it, so a hydraulic machine gives .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. Pressure. , the same in all three.
Step 2. Force. on each base.
Step 3. Why. In the wide vessel the sloping walls hold up the extra water; in the narrow one the walls push down on the water.
Answer: and for all three.
Watch out. Only the upright vessel has a base force equal to the weight of its water.
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