An industrial processing facility uses two large vertical storage tanks that are open to the atmosphere. Tank A contains two distinct layers of non-mixing liquids: a top layer of oil (density = ) and a bottom layer of water (density = ). Tank B, which has exactly twice the cross-sectional area of Tank A, contains pure water to a total depth of . Which of the following statements correctly compares the gauge hydrostatic pressure acting on the interior bottom surfaces of the two tanks?
- AThe pressure at the bottom of Tank B is greater primarily because its larger cross-sectional area holds a much larger total volume and weight of fluid.
- BThe pressures are exactly equal because the total depth of the fluid column is in both tanks, regardless of the container's base area.
- The pressure at the bottom of Tank B is greater because the entire fluid column consists of the denser liquid.Cevap
- DThe pressure at the bottom of Tank A is greater because the oil layer physically compresses the water layer below it, multiplying the downward force.
Cevap
The pressure at the bottom of Tank B is greater because its entire fluid column is composed of the denser water, yielding a higher hydrostatic pressure than Tank A's mixed column.
The correct answer accurately calculates that Tank B has a higher bottom pressure because it contains a full column of the denser water (), while Tank A replaces of that column with lighter oil (). It also correctly implies that hydrostatic pressure depends only on fluid density and depth, not on the tank's cross-sectional area.
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Anahtar Kavram
Hydrostatic pressure depends strictly on fluid density, gravity, and depth (), and is independent of the container's shape, base area, or total volume of fluid.