Why is the weight of the body of water contained by a dam immaterial to calculating the forces exerted on the dam wall?
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Because the force of gravity is distributed evenly across perpendicular planes in all directions. This is because water is not compressible. So the area is all that matters to calculate the total force.
When you stand in 4 feet of a pool, does it feel any different than 4 feet in the ocean? Same principle. Only the depth matters.
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