Pascal's Law states that pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted in which way?

• A. Pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted undiminished in all directions.
• B. Force equals mass times velocity.
• C. Pressure increases with fluid velocity.
• D. Energy is conserved in hydraulic flow.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how pressure behaves inside a confined fluid. Pascal’s Law says that when you apply pressure to a liquid that’s sealed in a container, that pressure is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid and to the container walls. This means the pressure you create at one point is felt everywhere at the same level of the fluid, regardless of the container’s shape.

This is why hydraulic systems can multiply force. If you push on a small piston and create pressure P, that same pressure P acts on a larger piston elsewhere in the system, yielding a larger overall force because F = P × A, so the larger piston produces F2 = P × A2, which can be bigger than the force you applied on the small piston if the area increases.

The other ideas aren’t describing this equal, undiminished transmission of pressure. Things about force-mass-velocity, or pressure changing with velocity, or general energy conservation don’t capture the specific way pressure is distributed through a confined fluid as described by Pascal’s Law.