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Difficulty: MediumHydrostatic Pressure

An oceanarium features a massive main saltwater tank with several viewing windows and maintenance hatches of varying sizes. Arrange the following locations in order of the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the seawater at their center points, from the lowest pressure to the highest pressure.

  1. 1A massive panoramic viewing panel (10 feet wide) with its center 5 feet below the water surface
  2. 2A tiny circular porthole (1 foot wide) with its center 10 feet below the water surface
  3. 3A medium-sized observation window (3 feet wide) with its center 15 feet below the water surface
  4. 4A narrow maintenance hatch (2 feet wide) with its center 20 feet below the water surface

Answer

The correct sequence from lowest to highest pressure corresponds strictly to depth: the 5-foot deep panoramic panel, the 10-foot deep porthole, the 15-foot deep observation window, and the 20-foot deep maintenance hatch.
Hydrostatic pressure is calculated based on the vertical depth below the surface. Because all windows are in the same saltwater tank, fluid density and gravity are constant. Therefore, the pressure increases linearly with depth, making the 5-foot depth the lowest pressure and the 20-foot depth the highest, regardless of the physical size of each window.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recall the principles determining hydrostatic pressure in a static fluid.
Hydrostatic pressure is determined by the equation P=ρghP = \rho gh, meaning it depends only on fluid density (ρ\rho), gravity (gg), and depth (hh).
Establishing the governing physical rule prevents confusion from irrelevant details like window size or shape.
2
Identify the relevant variable for each location.
The relevant variable is the depth of the center point for each window: 5 ft, 10 ft, 15 ft, and 20 ft.
Extracting the depth isolates the only factor that changes hydrostatic pressure in this single, uniform tank.
3
Sort the locations by depth to determine pressure order.
Ranking from lowest depth to highest depth gives: 5 ft < 10 ft < 15 ft < 20 ft.
Since pressure is directly proportional to depth, ordering from shallowest to deepest correctly ranks the pressure from lowest to highest.

Key Concept

Hydrostatic pressure in a static fluid is directly proportional to depth and is completely independent of the total fluid volume, container shape, or the area of the surface it acts upon.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Hydrostatic Pressure

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