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⚛️ Physics  ·  Mechanical Properties of Fluids  ·  NEET & JEE

A swimmer underwater feels a greater pressure than at the surface. At 10 m depth in sea water (ρ = 1025 kg/m³), the pressure is approximately:

Answer: 2 atm (1 atm atmospheric + 1 atm from water column).

  • A 2 atm (1 atm atmospheric + 1 atm from water column)
  • B 10 atm, mistakenly equating 10 m of depth to 10 atm directly
  • C 1 atm, ignoring the added pressure of the overlying water column
  • D 5 atm, from incorrectly halving the depth-to-pressure conversion

Correct answer: A. 2 atm (1 atm atmospheric + 1 atm from water column)

Explanation: P = P<sub>0</sub> + ρgh = 10⁵ + 1025 × 10 × 10 ≈ 10⁵ + 1.025×10⁵ ≈ 2.025 × 10⁵ Pa ≈ 2 atm.

Continuity Equation: Narrow Pipe → Faster FlowA₁, v₁ (wide, slow)A₂, v₂ (narrow, fast)A₁v₁ = A₂v₂ (continuity)Smaller area → higher speed → (by Bernoulli) LOWER pressure

Since the same volume of fluid must pass every cross-section per second (continuity), the fluid speeds up where the pipe narrows; Bernoulli's equation then says this faster-moving fluid has lower pressure - the principle behind a venturi meter and an aircraft wing's lift.

Concept context

Pressure, buoyancy, Bernoulli equation, viscosity, and surface tension.

Read the full Mechanical Properties of Fluids notes →