Submitted by [deleted] t3_z72gte in explainlikeimfive
Moskau50 t1_iy4pjqa wrote
Reply to comment by jensjoy in ELI5: How is our body able withstand the pressure of miles of air in the atmosphere? by [deleted]
Pressure is caused by the column height of fluid, but the force that the pressure exerts is omnidirectional (technically, normal to every surface, but assuming a closed, real shape, that becomes omnidirectional). At any given depth, there's no net force of pressure upwards or downwards; assuming a short object, the bottom of the object experiences the same pressure as the top, which means the net force acting on each side is equal.
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