Pressure in fluids and Pascal's law.

AI Thread Summary
Pressure in fluids arises from the weight of the fluid column and acts in all directions, not just downward. Pascal's law states that pressure at any point in a fluid is the same and includes the pressure from the weight of the fluid column. When a piston is pushed in a fluid-filled container, the pressure is transmitted equally in all directions, which can cause movement in adjacent pistons. This behavior is due to the incompressibility of fluids, allowing pressure changes to propagate laterally. Understanding these principles clarifies common misconceptions about fluid pressure dynamics.
harjyot
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I have a lot of confusion and I hope someone can help me in clearing my doubts.
considering a right cylindrical container with a liquid filled in ,if we take two points, y1 and y2(near the bottom)

1) first of all I thought that pressure inside a fluid arose because of the weight of the fluid column and it was always in the downward direction.but now I find it's in the upward direction too? (is this only when an object is introduced?!)

2) does the Pascal's law that pressure at any point in a fluid is same, work only when the weight of the fluid column is not considered right?

3)if I have a container with some liquid and a piston on the top, I attach another parallel cylinder to it's side with a piston. now when I push the first piston, shouldn't the pressure move only in the downward direction? but we see that it travels sideways and pops the other piston out. how?
 
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harjyot said:
1) first of all I thought that pressure inside a fluid arose because of the weight of the fluid column and it was always in the downward direction.but now I find it's in the upward direction too? (is this only when an object is introduced?!)
The force of pressure at any point acts equally in all directions.

harjyot said:
2) does the Pascal's law that pressure at any point in a fluid is same, work only when the weight of the fluid column is not considered right?
No. The Law includes the pressure from weight of the fluid column:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_law#Definition

harjyot said:
3)if I have a container with some liquid and a piston on the top, I attach another parallel cylinder to it's side with a piston. now when I push the first piston, shouldn't the pressure move only in the downward direction? but we see that it travels sideways and pops the other piston out. how?
See 1)
 
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