Calculating the hydrostatic force on a submerged body

The hydrostatic force is a force exerted by a fluid on a submerged body. This force comes from the weight of the fluid acting down on the submerged body, so it can be derived from the equation weight (in this case hydrostatic force)=massg and mass=densityvolume.  You can calculate the volume of the column of water above the object by multiplying the surface area of the object by the depth the object is submerged by. Calculate the mass of the object and density of the fluid and then substitute into the equation above to find the total force exerted on the submerged body.

SH
Answered by Samuel H. Physics tutor

8792 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

A child is going down a snowy hill on a sledge. Draw a free-body force diagram for the child and sledge.


What is a potential divider?


What is an ohmic resistor? How to check if a resistor is ohmic?


A stationary observer Bob, observes Alice take 5 seconds to travel from point A to B at 0.95c. How much time does Alice measure the journey from A to B to take?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning