A dam holding back the water in a reservoir exerts ahorizontal force on the wate
ID: 1724312 • Letter: A
Question
A dam holding back the water in a reservoir exerts ahorizontal force on the water. The magnitude of this force dependson a) the maximum depth of the reservoir b) the depth of the water at the location of the dam. c) the surface area of the reservoir d) both a and b e) all three a, b, and c I need NOT ONLY the answer, BUT THE EXPLANATION!! A dam holding back the water in a reservoir exerts ahorizontal force on the water. The magnitude of this force dependson a) the maximum depth of the reservoir b) the depth of the water at the location of the dam. c) the surface area of the reservoir d) both a and b e) all three a, b, and c I need NOT ONLY the answer, BUT THE EXPLANATION!!Explanation / Answer
The magnitude of the pressurethat the water exerts along the containment surface of the damdepends on the depth of the water. Just above the surface of thewater, the dam feels no pressure and at the bottom of thecontainment surface is where the dam feels the greatestpressure. Start with the formula for Pressure: weight of water x depth then to Force: Pressure(avg)/area so since force is related to pressure which is related to the depthof the water...this should help clarify things.