what is hydrostatic pressure

Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid at equilibrium at any point in time due to the force of gravity. It is proportional to the depth measured from the surface as the weight of the fluid increases when a downward force is applied. Hydrostatic pressure increases in proportion to depth measured from the surface because of the increasing weight of fluid exerting downward force. Hydrostatic pressure is fundamental to hydraulics, the engineering of equipment for storing, transporting and using fluids. It is also relevant to geophysics and astrophysics, to meteorology, to medicine (in the context of blood pressure), and many other fields. The formula used to calculate the hydrostatic pressure is p = ρgh, where p is the pressure exerted by the liquid, ρ is the density of the liquid, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the fluid column.