Fluid Statics – Understanding Pressure and Weight in Hydrostatic Paradox

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Consider two different shaped containers having same area: one is cylinder, the other is like an inverted pyramid (roughly). Both have the same level of water, the weight of the inverted pyramidal container will therefore be greater than that of the cylinder. But I know from Pascal's law that the pressure should be same in both containers. If the base areas are the same then the force (weight as measured by a scale) should also be the same. Why are the weights different?

Best Answer

The flaw in your reasoning is that in the inverted cylinder, the hydrostatic pressure is also applied to the "diagonal" walls of the container. This causes a net downward force that, if left unbalanced, would cause a downward acceleration. However, the force is transmitted down through the (rigid) walls of the container to the base, and from there to the scale, which registers a higher weight.

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