A container is filled with water and the pressure at the container bottom is P. If the container is instead filled with oil having a density of 0.80 that of water, what new bottom pressure results? A) a pressure P D) This is unable to be determined with the information given.

Question

A container is filled with water and the pressure at the container bottom is P. If the container is instead filled with oil having a density of 0.80 that of water, what new bottom pressure results?
A) a pressure < P
B) the same pressure P
C) a pressure > P
D) This is unable to be determined with the information given.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pressure at the bottom of a fluid column is directly proportional to the fluid's density. Since oil has a density of 0.80 that of water, the pressure at the bottom will be 0.80 times P, which is less than P.

A Container Is Filled with Water and the Pressure at the Container