Fluid Statics

Variation in Pressure
• Assume initially that pressure is a function of all
three space coordinates
– i.e. we have p(x, y, z)

• How does pressure vary in these directions?

– i.e. we wish to know how to calculate derivatives of p
with respect to x, y and z
– this is a problem in MULTI-VARIABLE CALCULUS
– Involves definition of PARTIAL DERIVATIVES
p p p [note “curly d ” ]
, ,
x y z
 Variation in Pressure
• Consider y equilibrium of fluid element illustrated
– Pressure changes from p to p+d p in small length d y
 Variation in Pressure
• Force balance
F y 0  pAy   p   p  Ay  0
p
Dividing by volume V= Ay dy we get 0
y
p
0 the limit dy-> 0
or y in

• Similarly we find that

p
0
x
 Variation in Pressure
• So, what we have shown?
– HORIZONTAL variation in pressure in a continuous
body of static fluid is ZERO

• Hence p = f (z) only

– Variations in p(z) represented by ORDINARY
derivative dp
dz
 Variation in Pressure
• Consider z equilibrium of fluid element illustrated
– Pressure changes from p to p+d p in small height d z

– Weight of fluid element,

W , acts vertically
downwards

W = wV
 Variation in Pressure
• Force balance
åF z
=0 Þ pAz - p+ d p Az - wV = 0
( )
Dividing by volume V= Az dz we get
dp
=- w
dz

or dp =-inw
the limit dz -> 0
dz
W = wV
where w = r g as usual
 Variation in Pressure
• Hence for an fluid for which  = constant
(incompressible) , we have

dp
  g  constant
dz


 Variation in Pressure
• We can now integrate the pressure equation
using appropriate boundary conditions i.e.

p z
 dp    gdz
po zo

so p  po   gz  z o 
  gz o  z

  gh
 Variation in Pressure
• So we see that

p  po  h
• Note:
– Pressure INCREASES LINEARLY with depth in a fluid
of constant density
– Pressure is CONSTANT at a GIVEN ELEVATION in a
continuous body of the same fluid
 Variation in Pressure
p  po  h
Liquid surface
po

p - po