Symmetry of Hydrostatic Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure acts equally in all directions at a given depth within a fluid, due to the isotropic nature of fluid stress.
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The statement of the theorem
Consider a fluid domain in static equilibrium under a constant gravitational field . The pressure must satisfy the momentum balance equation (Cauchy's equation of motion for a fluid at rest): \n\n \n\nSubstituting the gravitational vector yields:\n\n \n\nThis vector equation implies that the pressure is independent of the horizontal coordinates and . Formally, the partial derivatives must vanish:\n\n \n\nConsequently, the pressure is a function solely of the vertical coordinate (or depth ): . Integrating the differential equation yields the fundamental hydrostatic relation:\n\n