The face of a dam can be considered a vertical rectangle of height 20 m and width of 50 m. Find the total fluid force exerted on the dam by the water when the water surface level is near the top of the dam: A) 5 * 10⁶ N B) 1 * 10⁷ N C) 5 *10⁷ N D) 1*10⁸ N

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The total fluid force exerted on the dam can be calculated using the formula: Force = ρghA, where ρ is the density of water (1000 kg/m^3), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), h is the depth of the water (which, in this case, can be taken as the average depth of 10 m, since the pressure varies linearly with depth), and A is the area of the dam face (20 m * 50 m = 1000 m^2). Plugging in these values gives a force of 9.8 * 10^7 N, which matches choice D.

The Face of a Dam Can Be Considered a Vertical