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Difficulty: EasyHydrostatic Pressure

A scuba diver records the surrounding water pressure at four different locations in a freshwater lake. Arrange these locations in order from the LOWEST hydrostatic pressure to the HIGHEST hydrostatic pressure experienced by the diver.

  1. 1Location W: Swimming just below the surface, 1 meter deep
  2. 2Location X: Resting on a shallow rock ledge, 4 meters deep
  3. 3Location Y: Exploring inside a submerged cave, 12 meters deep
  4. 4Location Z: Standing on the lake bottom, 18 meters deep

Answer

The correct order from lowest to highest hydrostatic pressure is: Location W (1 meter), Location X (4 meters), Location Y (12 meters), and Location Z (18 meters).
Hydrostatic pressure is determined by the weight of the fluid directly above an object. In a single body of water like a lake, the density of the water is constant. Therefore, the hydrostatic pressure depends entirely on the depth (hh). Since the question asks for the order from lowest to highest pressure, the locations must be ordered from the shallowest depth to the deepest depth: 1 meter, 4 meters, 12 meters, and finally 18 meters.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recall the relationship between hydrostatic pressure and depth.
Hydrostatic pressure is calculated using the formula P = ρgh (where ρ is fluid density, g is gravity, and h is depth). Therefore, pressure increases as depth increases.
Understanding this direct relationship is required to rank the locations.
2
Identify the depth of each location provided in the scenario.
Location W is 1m, Location X is 4m, Location Y is 12m, and Location Z is 18m.
The depth is the only variable changing between the different locations.
3
Order the locations from the smallest depth to the greatest depth.
Smallest depth (1m) is Location W, followed by 4m (Location X), 12m (Location Y), and the greatest depth is 18m (Location Z).
Since pressure increases with depth, ordering from smallest to greatest depth directly corresponds to lowest to highest pressure.

Key Concept

In a fluid of uniform density, hydrostatic pressure increases proportionally with the depth of the fluid.
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Topics

Hydrostatic Pressure

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