Question

I've got a couple questions, hardly school work: just my curious mind at play, again :)

Numero uno: I've heard...
I've heard that if you go so deep in the ocean, like at the very bottom, (I think it's density?) well it's so dense down there that it compresses everything that it's so small. Why is this ? Well, anyways...
If it does that, I'm wondering, what if you were way high up in the air, like where airplanes go, high in the atmosphere: what would happen, for example, in the stratosphere ? What kind of force would take place, what would happen and why... what is it... and I wouldn't enlarge, would I ? o.o

And if so, the force wouldn't be so strong, would it ? I mean, how is it possible that you can simply have like 2 layers of plastic on an airplane window ?

Answer 1

If you got the bottom of the ocean, you have the entire ocean above you pushing down, on top of our whole atmosphere, so yes there will be a very high pressure, lots of compression. If you go up really high, there will eventually be no pressure once you hit space, because you will no longer have the atmosphere weighing down on you. You wouldn't enlarge, you just wouldn't be under as much pressure as now. I suppose you'd feel really free... Except for the no oxygen... And no, the force would only be weaker than at the ground, there's just less of our atmosphere pushing down

Answer 2

But the reason why the ocean is pulling you down is density, no ?

Answer 3

So wait, if there were many fluids in a glass, the one lowest would be the most dense, correct ?
and if so, how is weighing-down related to density? ;\

Answer 4

the plastic on a plane window is built to withstand the low pressure
if you were to go out in space or in the high atmosphere, you would die a miserable death.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/suitless-space-walk1.htm

Answer 5

weighing-down (gravity) is not caused by density, it's caused my mass.

Answer 6

*by mass

Answer 7

Peter14 is right, the pressure of it is caused by mass, but you are correct that the more dense one will go the bottom

Answer 8

huh.
But I thought that the fluid lowest on a glass was the densist, I heard that somewhere

Answer 9

and its not dense high up in the atmosphere ? is it ? and why would there be so much pressure... I mean, they'res less gravity right ?

Answer 10

it's because there's less of a column of air above you when you're high up

Answer 11

huh

Answer 12

well, thanks, anyways :\

Answer 13

The pressure you feel at the bottom of the ocean is due to the weight of water above you, plus the weight of atmosphere above you. The density of the water affects that weight, as does the height.

\[\Large P = \rho g h\] P is pressure, rho is density of fluid, h is depth.

So wait, if there were many fluids in a glass, the one lowest would be the most dense, correct ?

Yes, the most dense fluid will sink to the bottom.

and if so, how is weighing-down related to density?

Not sure what you mean by weighing down, but it's buoyancy that determines whether an object sinks or floats in a fluid. If an object/fluid is more dense than the fluid it is submerged in, it sinks. If the object is less dense than it's surroundings, it floats.

The buoyant force is a result of the pressure of the surrounding fluid, as it's effectively trying to fill the space that is occupied by the object, and this causes an upward force -

if this buoyant force is greater than the weight of the object (due to gravity) then the object is pushed upwards. If the buoyant force is less than the weight of the object, the object is still pulled down by gravity.

Answer 14

well it's so dense down there that it compresses everything that it's so small.

^ oh and it's the pressure that compresses objects under water (but a more dense fluid will have higher pressure, as you can see in the equation above).

and I wouldn't enlarge, would I ?

Not really, since you still have your skin and muscles and such holding you together.

A balloon would enlarge if you took it very high into the atmosphere, as the only thing preventing it from enlarging is the surface tension in the skin of the balloon, and it's filled with air, which will expand as the atmospheric pressure drops.

Answer 15

@agent0smith I don't know why I never saw this answer ever, before!
Thanks so much :D
This is amazing :D

Answer 16

No prob :)