[Physics] Confusion with Fluid pressure

gaspressure

I have studied on the internet that gases exert equal pressure in all directions in a container but liquids do not. In liquids pressure exerted on the wall of a container increases with depth. Why is that so?
any logical or intuitive if not conceptual answer is also appreciated.
Also can there be a situation in which liquid can exert equal pressure on the walls of their container, independent of depth?

Note: I found a pretty similar question here but is a bit complicated and so I couldn't understand it. Also please use liquid/gas terms instead of fluid as it mixes up things for me.

Best Answer

I have studied on the internet that gases exert equal pressure in all directions in a container but liquids do not. [...] Why is that so?

Actually they both work in the same manner. The cause is the presence of gravity.

Pressure increases with depth in a liquid, because the heavy (dense) liquid has to carry the whole column of liquid above it. A water particle at the bottom of the sea must hold up all the water above it and all the air above that. The water particle at the surface only has to hold up the air above it (corresponds to standard atmospheric pressure).

It is the same thing for air and other gases. And as you might already know, the atmospheric pressure at ground level is much bigger than the atmospheric pressure at an air plane in a height of 10 km. Just watch any aircraft crash movie and see how everything is suched out when there is a breach because of the lower outside pressure...

For gas within an earth sized container, the pressure difference because of depth is so small because of the very low density that it simply doesn't have to be considered.

Also can there be a situation in which liquid can exert equal pressure on the walls of their container, independent of depth?

Yes, in outer space where no force like gravity pulls all particles in one single direction so they have to "carry" reach other. But in that case it would also be difficult to define depth...

I should mention though that such liquid in outer space of course exerts it's own gravitational pull. If you have large quantities of liquid (or gas for that matter - just look at a gas planet), and I mean very large quantities, then the liquid will form a sphere and the pressure will increase as you dive deeper. But this depth is then measured towards the center of this sphere.

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