In nature, matter appears in three different ways, since something is solid, liquid or gaseous. Each of these states is studied from one perspective. The part of physics that studies liquid or gaseous states is hydromechanics.
This discipline has three branches: hydrostatic, hydrodynamic and pneumatic. The first studies liquids or fluids in equilibrium or at rest (this branch of physics is integrated into a more general area, fluid statics). Hydrodynamics studies liquids in motion and pneumatics focuses on the study of gases.
Main rules of hydrostatics
Hydrostatic pressure is the force exerted by a liquid at rest and at a certain depth. Any fluid in a container exerts a certain pressure in all directions.
As for the concept of density, it refers to the amount of mass that is contained in a given volume. On the other hand, specific gravity measures the weight measured by each unit of volume. Thus, while density relates to mass and volume, specific gravity relates to density and gravity.
The measurement of the weight of a fluid at rest is hydrostatic pressure. Mathematically this pressure is the result of multiplying the following variables: density, gravity, liquid and depth. The unit of hydrostatic pressure is the pascal.
There are two fundamental principles: that of Pascal and that of Archimedes.
Pascal's principle states that the pressure that occurs at any point in the mass of a fluid expands in the same way in all directions. Likewise, Pascal showed that the pressure inside a container is not related to the amount of liquid but to the height of the container.
Archimedes was a Greek scientist and engineer who lived in the 3rd century BC. C and is famous, among other reasons, for the principle that bears his name. The principle is universally known: every body partially or totally submerged in a liquid has an upward thrust force that is equal to the weight of the moving liquid.
Hydrostatic applications
This branch of physics has a wide range of specific applications. We highlight some of them: any circumstance related to the underwater world, the design of dams and swamps, the extraction of water in underground wells or measurements of liquids in reservoirs.
If we take Pascal's principle as a reference, the hydraulic press is the technology that best expresses its specific application.
Fotolia photos: Kateryna_Kon / Juulijs
