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

8815 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Calculate the root mean squared speed for 16g of oxygen gas at 50(deg Celsius) and explain why we use this instead of the average velocity of all the particles.


Ignoring air resistance, use an energy argument to find the speed of a ball when it hits the ground if it is dropped from 50m, where m is the mass of the ball.


Why is the classical model of light insufficient in explaining the photoelectric effect?


A cylindrical rod of radius 7mm and Young’s Modulus 70 GPa has a weight F applied to it. The material experiences a strain of 0.2%. What force has been applied?


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