"dixon" wrote in message news:JqOqd.110213$V41.105580@attbi_s52...
I have a question that has me questioning the laws of fluid physics. I will
be posting the question in a day or so, but first I want to get some others
input regarding water pressure at different depths. First, do we all agree
that pressure is only dependant on depth of water? Lets say you had an
aquarium that was 3 feet high and 3 feet long and 2 feet front to back.
Fluid laws say it would not matter what the front to back measurement is.
The pressure on the front glass would be the same if the back of the
aquarium was two feet or 200 feet or 200 miles away, right?
Dixon
--

So far, 12-03-04, everyone has agreed but I don't know... water
pressure might be x at so many feet depth but that is water pressure
from all sides pushing in or out on a gauge. In the above situation
the outside of the aquarium is not under pressure and it would seem
that at a constant depth the more water that was inside, as in a
bigger aquarium, it would add more and more weight and therefore more
pressure on the sides. But, then again, that kid did plug the dike
with just his finger.

Sam wrote:
So far, 12-03-04, everyone has agreed but I don't know... water
pressure might be x at so many feet depth but that is water pressure
from all sides pushing in or out on a gauge. In the above situation
the outside of the aquarium is not under pressure and it would seem
that at a constant depth the more water that was inside, as in a
bigger aquarium, it would add more and more weight and therefore more
pressure on the sides.

Yep. I will say that youo are totally correct, and the teachings of
modern physics are all wrong, if you can answer one question...

In making the tank bigger, to hold more water, without making it any
deeper, then you must make the sides longer and the bottom larger...
there is a greater weight of water but it is spread over a larger
area... thus the pressure (which is defined as weight or force on a
given area unit) remains the same.

So.... how do you make the tank bigger without making it any deeper and
not increasing the length & area of the sides & bottom?

DSK