The pressure exerted by a liquid at rest, due to its own weight, is called ____________.

• A. Nominal
• B. Specific
• C. Hydrostatic
• D. Absolute

Answer: (C)

Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure in a liquid at rest that comes from the weight of the liquid above a point. In a static fluid, the weight of the column of liquid above a depth pushes down, so pressure increases with depth. The basic relation is p = p_atm + ρ g h, meaning the surface pressure plus the weight of the fluid column below the surface; if you focus only on the pressure from the fluid itself, the gauge pressure is ρ g h. This term specifically describes the pressure due to the liquid’s own weight, unlike nominal or specific, and unlike absolute pressure, which is the total pressure relative to a vacuum (including atmospheric).