Question

Atmospheric pressure exerts a large force (equal to the weight of the atmosphere above your body—abouttons) on the top of your body when you are lying on the beach sunbathing. Why are you able to get up?

Short answer

Air is trapped under the stomach even while you're lying down. This applies enough pressure to assist the individual in rising.

Step-by-step solution

Conceptual Introduction

Fluid statics, often known as hydrostatics, is a branch of fluid mechanics that investigates the state of balance of a floating and submerged body, as well as the pressure in a fluid, or imposed by a fluid, on an immersed body.

Description of the scenario

The person is lying on the beach. Atmospheric pressure exerts a force on the body that is equal to the product of the mass of the atmosphere and the acceleration due to gravity. That is equivalent to the weight of the atmosphere. This happens because our body is pulled towards gravity and exert a force on the atmosphere.

Explaining the reason behind the ability of body to withstand the atmospheric pressure

Atmospheric pressure also exerts force on the downside of the body. So, this force is balanced in all directions. So, we didn’t experience that pressure. But while pulling up the body, as we are acting against gravity, some difficulty may be felt.

Therefore, the person is able to get up from the beach due to the balanced atmospheric pressure.