Fluids · Physics

Under Pressure Simulation

Lower a pressure gauge into a pool and watch the reading climb with depth. Change the fluid, gravity and the pool's shape — pressure depends only on depth.

Interactive virtual lab · no download · works on phones and laptops

Chapter: Mechanical Properties of Fluids
For: Class 9 · Class 11
Time: ~8 min

Under Pressure is a Pro simulation

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How to use it

1Drag the gauge anywhere in or above the water.
2Fill or drain the pool with the taps.
3Change fluid density and gravity.
4Choose a pool shape and switch the atmosphere on or off.

What to notice

P = P₀ + ρgh: pressure rises linearly with depth.
A denser fluid or stronger gravity → faster rise.
The shape of the container does not matter, only the depth.
Turning off the atmosphere removes the 101 kPa baseline.

For teachers

A ready-made teaching kit comes with this lab

Lesson plan
18 min, 4 steps
Ask the class
3 questions with answers
Quick quiz
6 questions, printable
Key formulas
2 formulas

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About the Under Pressure simulation

Pressure in a liquid grows with depth because of the weight of liquid above. It depends on the depth and the liquid's density, not on the shape of the container — a narrow tube and a wide tank filled to the same height have the same pressure at the bottom. Air adds its own atmospheric pressure on top.

In this fluid pressure simulation you lower a pressure gauge into tanks of different shapes, change the liquid and gravity, and switch the atmosphere on or off. It covers Mechanical Properties of Fluids (Class 11) and pressure in Class 9.

Also covers: fluid pressure, hydrostatic pressure, atmospheric pressure, depth, p = rho g h, pascal.