The aquarium has the shape of a cube with a side of 1 m. It is filled to the top with water.

The aquarium has the shape of a cube with a side of 1 m. It is filled to the top with water. How many times do the pressure forces on the bottom and on one side wall of the cube differ?

Given:
h = 1 meter – the length of the side of the cube (aquarium);
p = 1000 kilograms / cubic meter is the density of water;
g = 10 Newton / kilogram – acceleration due to gravity (approximate value).
It is required to determine P2 / P1 – how many times the water pressure on the side wall and on the bottom of the cube differ.
Find the water pressure at the bottom of the cube:
P1 = p * g * h = 1000 * 10 * 1 = 10000 Pascal.
Let’s find the water pressure on the cube wall:
P2 = p * g * h / 2 = 1000 * 10 * 1/2 = 10000/2 = 5000 Pascal.
Then:
P2 / P1 = 5000/10000 = 5/10 = 1/2 = 0.5 or 2 times less.
Answer: the water pressure on the wall of the aquarium is 2 times less than on its bottom.