Three vessels, as shown in the figure, possess identical base areas. Equal volumes of a liquid are poured into the three vessels. The force acting on the base will be

Step-by-step solution

Let the identical base area of the three vessels be A and the equal volume of liquid poured in each be V . The height of the liquid in each vessel depends on its shape: For vessel A (wider at the top), the cross-sectional area increases with height. Thus, the liquid height h_A For vessel B (straight walls), the cross-sectional area is constant. Thus, the liquid height h_B = V A . For vessel C (narrower at the top), the cross-sectional area decreases with height. Thus, the liquid height h_C > V A . Therefore, the he