Final answer:
All the beakers, filled to the same depth and having the same bottom area, will experience the same net downward force since the pressure exerted by the liquid is based on the liquid's depth, density, and gravitational acceleration.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which of the beakers would experience the greatest net downward force exerted by the liquid on the flat bottom given that they are all filled to the same depth h with a liquid of density rho and have the same bottom area A. This is a Physics problem involving the concept of pressure exerted by a liquid at a given depth. According to the provided figures and explanations, the pressure P exerted by a fluid at depth h is equal to h
g where g is the acceleration due to gravity. The net downward force F is then calculated by multiplying the pressure by the area A of the bottom, which gives us F = h
gA. Since the depth h, the density , and the area A are the same for all the beakers, the net downward force will be the same for each one regardless of their shape or volume above the bottom.