Consider three drinking glasses. all three have the same area base, and all three are filled to the same depth with water. glass a is cylindrical. glass b is wider at the top than at the bottom, and so holds more water than a. glass c is narrower at the top than at the bottom, and so holds less water than a. which glass has the greatest liquid pressure at the bottom?
i have narrowed it down to either:
a)all 3 have equal non-zero pressure at the bottom
or
b) all 3 have zero pressure at the bottom

All 3 glasses have equal non-zero pressure at the bottom

The basic formula of pressure that needs to be recalled is:

Pressure = Force / Cross-sectional Area

or symbolized:

P = Pressure (Pa)

F = Force (N)

A = Cross-sectional Area (m²)

Let us now tackle the problem !

The above formula can be arranged as follows.

From the above formula it can be concluded that the pressure at the bottom of the glass is directly proportional to the depth of the water. Since the water depth of the three glasses is the same, the pressure at the bottom of the glass will be the same.

Grade: High School

Subject: Physics

Chapter: Pressure

Keywords: Gravity , Unit , Magnitude , Attraction , Distance , Mass , Newton , Law , Gravitational , Constant , Liquid , Pressure