What is Hydrostatic: Definition and 241 Discussions

Fluid statics or hydrostatics is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies "fluids at hydrostatic equilibrium and the pressure in a fluid or exerted by a fluid on an immersed body".It encompasses the study of the conditions under which fluids are at rest in stable equilibrium as opposed to fluid dynamics, the study of fluids in motion. Hydrostatics is a subcategory of fluid statics, which is the study of all fluids, both compressible or incompressible, at rest.
Hydrostatics is fundamental to hydraulics, the engineering of equipment for storing, transporting and using fluids. It is also relevant to geophysics and astrophysics (for example, in understanding plate tectonics and the anomalies of the Earth's gravitational field), to meteorology, to medicine (in the context of blood pressure), and many other fields.
Hydrostatics offers physical explanations for many phenomena of everyday life, such as why atmospheric pressure changes with altitude, why wood and oil float on water, and why the surface of still water is always level.

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  1. R

    Hydrostatic behaviour - water in tube

    To moderator - I had mistakenly posted this to the "General Physics" forum and later noticed the note about not posting there - sorry! I hope this is the correct location for posting the following question. I am a novice on this site and am trying to find an answer to a question which is: I...
  2. C

    Solved: Calculating Barge Rise from 7 Tonnes of Grain Removed

    Homework Statement A barge has a waterline area 25m2 and sides that can be assumed to be vertical. If 7 tonnes of grain is removed from the barge by how much will the barge rise in the water. Assume that the grain was evenly distributed and the barge rises without tilting. Homework...
  3. A

    Hydrostatic force on a submerged object

    Homework Statement Two large tanks are separated by a wall 20 cm thick, as shown in the figure below. One tank is filled with oil with ρoil = 876 kg/m3 and μoil = 0.45 Ns/m2. The other is filled with water with ρwater = 998 kg/m3 and μwater = 0.00100 Ns/m2. The depths of fluid in the two tanks...
  4. S

    Hydrostatic Force and Pressure

    Homework Statement A semicircle with radius 3 m is submerged vertically in water so that the top is 1 m above the surface. Express the hydrostatic force against one side of the plate as an integral and evaluate it I'm not getting the correct answer, so can someone help me to understand my...
  5. C

    Hydrostatic Force Problem In Calc. 2

    Hey, I've done an even problem from my book, and am not 100% sure if it's correct. It asks to find the Hydrostatic Force acting against an Area. Homework Statement A vertical dam has a semicircular gate as shown in the figure. Find the Hydrostatic force against the gate...
  6. C

    Hydrostatic Equilibrium Thought Experiments, for clarification

    Hey, I'm just trying to make sure I understand the concept of hydrostatic equilibrium, so I devised two thought experiments that (depending on how they resolve) should really help clear up some confusion I have. 1. A tank of water, 1000 meters in the x and y directions but only 1 meter...
  7. D

    Riemann geometry and hydrostatic

    I read in Elie CARTAN book : "la Géométrie des espace de Riemann" that when R = cte, you can compare space-time to hydrostatic description of a liquid. Is it true ?
  8. P

    Regarding Fluids and hydrostatic force ratios

    http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7909/hrw71431.gif http://g.imageshack.us/img255/hrw71431.gif/1/ An open tube of length L = 1.8 m and cross-sectional area A = 4.6 cm^2 is fixed to the top of a cylindrical barrel of diameter D= 1.2m and height H=1.8 m The barrel and the tube are filled with...
  9. C

    Hydrostatic equilibrium for stars question

    Hi, I have attatched the question. I have done part a using: m(r) = integral(4pir^2rhodr). Does anyone have any suggestions for parts a and b? Thanks p.s. if anyone knows of a freeware program for paints for macs i would appretiate it rather than having to create pdf's lol
  10. A

    Hydrostatic vs Air Test: Pipeline Pressure of 16 Bar

    Can somebody explain the the difference between Hydrostatic test and Air test. Instead of hydrotest can we test the pipelines with air pressure. The working pressure of pipeline is 16 bar.
  11. K

    Hydrostatic force, half circle

    Homework Statement Find the hydrostatic force on any side of a bottom half-circle with a 6 m diameter with the top 1 m above water level. http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=45095885io3.png" Homework Equations P = 1000 * 9.8 (mass density of water) * displacement A = l * w F = P * AThe...
  12. Orion1

    Kerr metric hydrostatic equilibrium

    I basically understand how the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation for hydrostatic equilibrium was derived from the Schwarzschild metric in General Relativity and from the equation derivatives listed. However, when I attempt to derive the equation derivatives for the Kerr metric, I obtain these...
  13. B

    Conceptual Question- Hydrostatic Pressure

    b]1. Homework Statement [/b] In the figure, is pressure at A larger than, smaller than, or equal to the pressure at B? [ Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution My first instinct is that they are equal because they are at equal heights, but then again, isn't the pressure at...
  14. T

    How Do You Calculate Hydrostatic Pressure in a Spherical Water Tank?

    I have this homework problem and I can't figure it out: All I can figure out is the volume of the sphere =/ Help?
  15. B

    Hydrostatic Conceptual Problem

    Hey guys I'm a year 12 student studying physics, and at the moment we are studying hydraulics. We learned that pressure varies with depth, which led me to this question. If I have two plates almost infinitely close together, each with a cross sectional area of A, would the total force on each...
  16. E

    Hydrostatic System Explained: MIT Slide 10

    Homework Statement Can someone explain to me what a hydrostatic system is? I cannot find a good definition. I saw the term at http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Physics/8-044Spring-2004/61D97187-F3E1-45AC-B549-EC16979B6FE8/0/lec11.pdf on slide 10. Actually please look at the slide and explain it...
  17. F

    Hydrostatic Test and Air Entrapement

    Could anybody explain why in the hydrostatic test of a pressure vessel the allowed percentage of air in volume in the vessel is not allowed to be more than 0.5%-1%? What would happen if the pressure vessel contains 90% water and 10% air? Many thanks
  18. T

    What is the hydrostatic force on one end of an aquarium filled with water?

    Homework Statement An aquarium `8` m long, `4` m wide, and `4` m deep is full of water. Find the following: the hydrostatic force on one end of the aquarium. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I already found the pressure and force on the bottom of the aquarium...now...
  19. G

    How Much Work is Needed to Pull a Half-Submerged Ball Out of Water?

    Homework Statement A uniform ball of radius r = 0,3m swim in the water so the half of the ball is in the water. What is the work W required to pull out the ball from the water. (You can assume that the density of the water is ρ = 1000 kg/m³, the acceleration of gravity g = 9,81 m/s², ignore...
  20. L

    Solving Hydrostatic Forces with Integral or Volume/Weight?

    I am actually trying to solve a problem from fluid mechanics. The especifications of the problem are on the attachment. I can solve the problem easily by integration, but I'm not so sure if there is a vertical component of a force in the "dam" acting upward. There is a vertical component of...
  21. T

    Solved: Hydrostatic Force Calculation of Vertical Tank

    [SOLVED] Hydrostatic Forces Any Help would be GREATLY appreciated. My grade depends on me understanding this. Homework Statement A tank contains freshwater. The end of a tank containing water is vertical and has the indicated shape. Explain how to approximate the hydrostatic force...
  22. C

    Calculate Hydrostatic Force for Pumping Out Water from a Circular Pool

    Hi everyone, Could you please tell me if the setup is correct? Homework Statement A circularswimming pool has a diameter of 24 feet, the sides are 5ft hight, and the depth of the water is 4 ft. How much work is required to pump all of the water out over the side? (Use the fact that water...
  23. C

    Hydrostatic Forces Question_3

    Homework Statement A rectangular barge floats in water, ρw. When it is empty it is immersed at depth D below the surface. Oil with density, ρo, is poured into the barge until it is about to sink. Find a relationship for the depth of the oil at this point in terms of the initial depth, D, the...
  24. C

    Hydrostatic Forces Question_2

    Homework Statement a) Determine the horizontal and vertical forces acting on a wall sloped at angle, θ, to the horizontal seafloor as a function of z. Assume that the water is h deep and that atmospheric pressure acts everywhere. b) Determine the total resulting force and center of pressure...
  25. C

    Calculating Pressure-Depth Relationship in the Pacific Ocean

    Homework Statement At a particular point in the Pacific Ocean, the density of sea water increases non-linearly with depth according to p = p_o + m*z^2 where p_o is the density at the surface, z is the depth below the surface, and m is a constant. Develop an algebraic equation for the...
  26. B

    Does Hydrostatic Pressure Follow the Same Rules for All Shapes of Containers?

    My understanding is that the pressure below the surface of water is pgh. p - density of water, g - accel of gravity, h - dist below surface And that this relationship holds regardless of the shape of the container of water. (also, I'm neglecting the atmospheric pressure at the surface)...
  27. G

    Calculating Hydrostatic Pressure Difference: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Hi I am to calculate the hydrostatic pressure difference - given by the \Delta P = n*f/A where f = 0.4 kcal/mol/Å. The unit cell has the dimension 23Å x 19.9Å x 30.4 Å and the number of water molecules are 5.4 Å in the z-direction with a molar volume of 55.5 mol/l. I start by...
  28. G

    Find the hydrostatic force on one end of the trough

    I have a quiz coming up that includes this, so thanks for any help. Homework Statement A trough is filled with a liquid of density 840 kg/m^3. The ends of the trough are equilateral triangles with sides 8 m long and vertex at the bottom. Find the hydrostatic force on one end of the trough...
  29. G

    Hydrostatic force on water tank problem

    Homework Statement The end of a tank containing water is vertical and has the indicated shape (in attached picture). Explain how to approximate the hydrostatic force against the end of the tank by a Riemann sum. Then express the force as an integral and evaluate it. Homework Equations...
  30. D

    Explaining the Hydrostatic Pressure Paradox: What's Wrong with the Flask?

    Hi! I came over this paradox: an Erlenmeyer flask and a beaker are filled with water to the same height - it is assumed that they have the same base area and the same mass. Then the hydrostatic pressure of water is the same at the bottom of each container (since the depths are the same) and when...
  31. mbrmbrg

    Hydrostatic pressure (basic basic stuff)

    hydrostatic pressure (basic, basic stuff) Homework Statement In Figure 14-31 (attatched), an open tube of length L = 1.8 m and cross-sectional area A = 4.6 cm2 is fixed to the top of a cylindrical barrel of diameter D = 1.2 m and height H = 1.8 m. The barrel and tube are filled with water...
  32. S

    What Is the Hydrostatic Force on a Vertical Gate in an Irrigation Canal?

    A gate in an irrigation canal is in the form of a trapezoid 3 feet wide at the bottom, 5 feet wide at the top, with the height equal to 2 feet. It is placed vertically in the canal with the water extending to its top. For simplicity, take the density of water to be 60 lb/ft cubed. Find the...
  33. S

    Calc 2 hydrostatic force problem

    Find the hydrostatic force on one side wall of the pool when it is full of water. how do i go about solving this? image is attached
  34. C

    Hydrostatic Pressure homework

    An aquarium 5 ft long, 2 ft wide, and 3 ft deep is full of water. Find (a) the hydrostatic pressure on the bottom of the aquarium, (b) the hydrostatic force on the bottom, and (c) the hydrostatic force on one end of the aquarium. For (a) the hydrostatic pressure is P = \rho gd which is 187.5...
  35. B

    Deriving the hydrostatic equilibrium equation.

    A question asks for me to show that the minimum pressure of a star is given by: P_{min}=\frac{GM^2}{8\pi R^4} where M and R are the mass and radius of the star. My answer goes like this: Gravitational force towards center = \frac{GM(r)\delta M(r)}{r^2} Pressure force outwards =...
  36. H

    How do I find P as a function of r for a Vanderwaals gas?

    So, I've been given that archimedes principal for an atmospheric layer of gas on a planet is dP/dr = -rho*g where g is constant. For a vanderwaals gas, P = rhot*R*T - a*rho^2 I used the quadratic formula & solved for rho and put that into the dP/dr equation. getting... dP = [((-RT...
  37. S

    Hydrostatic Balance: Forces Acting in Vertical & Horizontal Directions

    What are the forces acting on an air parcel in the vertical direction? What about geostophically in the horizontal direction? How can I sketch these forces? thanks
  38. M

    Hydrostatic Paradox: Explanation & Resources

    Could someone please explain me clearly this paradox, or could you tell me where to fnd more info about it? Thanks.
  39. S

    Hydrostatic Force & It's Location on a Plate

    Please explain how I calc the hydrostatic force and it's location on the plate. Above the drawing is says: A 10m equlateral plate under water Assume 60 degrees F I clicked on 'Manage Attatchments' to upload the drawing. Give me a minute to do it another way if it won't show up...
  40. R

    Calculating Hydrostatic Force on Dam Plug

    Picture is included. You are working as a summer intern for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and are assigned to some initial work on water resources project. The department will be overseeing the construction of a dam to create a large fresh water lake that will be...
  41. G

    How Do You Calculate Hydrostatic Force and Work in Fluid Mechanics Problems?

    Someone please show me how to do these problem below...or at least show me the 1st few steps so I can get started. Thanks a lot. Plz help me out... 1)Find the force against the lower half of the rectangular floodgate 10ft wide and 8ft deep. 2)A conical tank 10ft deep and 8 ft across the top...
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