FLUIDS · PRESSURE, BUOYANCY AND EQUILIBRIUM

Fluid Statics: Pressure and Buoyancy

Explore hydrostatic pressure, the Pascal’s principle and Archimedes’ principle. Investigate pressures, forces, equilibrium and the vertical motion of a body, with explicit assumptions and dimensional checks.

Physical Parameters

Guided Experiments

Physical System

Gravitational Acceleration g

m/s²

Liquid Density ρ

kg/m³

Tank Depth D

Atmospheric Pressure pₐₜₘ

Initial Probe Depth h₀

Prescribed Probe Speed

m/s

Sensor Area A

m²

Force on Small Piston F₁

Piston 1 Area A₁

m²

Piston 2 Area A₂

m²

Prescribed Piston 1 Speed

m/s

Maximum Piston 1 Travel

Atmospheric Pressure (Reference)

Tank Depth D

Body Density ρc

kg/m³

Horizontal Cross-section Area A

m²

Body Height H

Viscous Damping Coefficient b

N·s/m

Initial Centre y₀ (Downward Positive)

Initial Velocity v₀ (Downward Positive)

m/s

Simulation Duration

Pressure varies with depth. The probe moves at a prescribed speed: the liquid itself is at rest.

Examples: Hydrostatics: Stationary Probe · Descending Probe · Hydraulic Press · Floating at Equilibrium · Sinking · Neutral Buoyancy

Simulation and Force Diagram

Teaching diagram with uniformly scaled body geometry. Force arrows are schematic.

Playback Speed

Time 0.00 s

State—

Pressure—

Force—

Depth—

Volume—

Result—

Energy—

Residual—

Synchronized Graphs

Select a graph point or enter a time. Graphs adapt to the selected experiment; depth is positive downward.

Principal Quantity vs Time

Pressure / Force vs Time

Balance and Derived Quantities

Motion or Work over Time

Data Table

SI units; comma-separated CSV with decimal points.

Model Assumptions

Hydrostatics: Homogeneous, incompressible liquid at rest, with constant density and g. Gauge and absolute pressures are distinguished; the sensor is ideal.

Pascal: Pistons at the same height, incompressible fluid, no losses, friction or inertia. Motion is prescribed and quasi-static, not a piston acceleration simulation.

Archimedes: Rigid prism with constant horizontal cross-section, vertical motion without rotation, and liquid at rest. Linear viscous drag is proportional to immersed fraction. The tank floor is a rigid constraint with inelastic impact; the energy reference is stated.

FROM MODEL TO RESULTS

Step-by-Step Calculations

General equations, SI substitutions and intermediate steps.

One left-aligned equation per line. MathML fallback when MathJax is unavailable. Values are rounded only for display.

Other Modules: Inclined Plane · Work and Energy · Physics Lab