A public aquarium features a vertical glass viewing panel that is 5.0 m tall and 8.0 m wide. The top edge of the panel is exactly at the water surface. For safety analysis, engineers must understand how the water acts on the panel.
(a) Describe qualitatively how the pressure exerted by the water varies with depth along the face of the panel.
(b) Without performing any numerical calculation, explain why multiplying the pressure at the mid-depth of the panel by the entire area gives the correct value of the net force exerted by the water on the panel.
(c) Identify which portion of the panel contributes most to the total force and justify your answer based on the pressure distribution.