HYDROSTATICS. 10 ( J 



will rise in the tube to the same level as it is in the 

 vessel, being pressed upwards by the surrounding 

 water. The same effect will take place, if you 

 incline the tube in any direction, or if you make 

 use of tubes bent in any manner possible ; still you 

 will find that the water within them will rise to the 

 same height as in the external vessel. 



If you force water with the bended tube A B 

 (Plate 8. fig. 13.) the water will stand at the same 

 height in both legs of the tube ; and were the 

 branches ever so numerous, yet, if they communi- 

 cated with each other, the water would stand at 

 the same level in all of them. 



As fluids press equally in every direction, it 

 follows that the horizontal bottom of a vessel sus- 

 tains just the pressure of a column of the fluid, 

 whose base is the area of the bottom of the vessel, 

 and whose perpendicular height is equal to the 

 depth of the fluid. Thus, in the vessel A B 

 (Plate 8. fig, 1.) the bottom C B does not sustain 

 a pressure equal to the whole quantity of fluid 

 contained in the vessel, but only of a column 

 whose base is C B (Fig. 2.) and height C E. Also 

 in the vessel F G, the bottom G H sustains a pres- 

 sure equal to what it would be if the vessel were 

 as wide at the top as bottom. 



This leads to what is called the hydrostatic para- 

 dox, which is so denominated, because at first view 

 it seems paradoxical ; but it results from the nature 

 of fluids, which press every way alike. 



It is, thata quantity of Jiaid, however smalt, may 

 be made to counterpoise the greatest quantity. Thus, 

 if to a wide vessel A B (Plate 8. fig. 3.) you attach a 

 tube C D communicating with the vessel, and then 

 pour water into either of them, you will find that 



