Eli5 : if pressure is due to the size of the column of fluid above, why is it not lighter inside ?

351 views

I know that if you are inside of a hermetic room, the pressure is the same. But I can’t understand *why*. For example, if you enclose water from the bottom of the ocean in a box, shouldn’t it be suddenly at the same pressure than outside, due to the fact there is not the weight of the water column above ?

Thanks!

In: 2

8 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

1. Regular buildings aren’t airtight, so air at atmospheric pressure always exists within and flows throughout the building. Remember, pressure is the aggregate force per unit area of the gases around you. It acts on every part of your body, not just the top.

2. In sealed chambers, we try to keep the pressure similar to atmospheric pressure because that’s what our bodies are designed to handle. We *can* make chambers with higher or lower pressure, but if we go too high or too low, humans can’t access and work in those chambers.

You are viewing 1 out of 8 answers, click here to view all answers.