Explain the hydrostatic paradox.

(N/A) The hydrostatic paradox states that the pressure exerted by a liquid at the bottom of a vessel depends only on the height of the liquid column and the density of the liquid,and is independent of the shape or size of the vessel.
Even if vessels have different shapes and volumes,if they are filled to the same vertical height $h$ with the same liquid of density $\rho$,the pressure at the base of each vessel will be identical,given by $P = P_a + \rho gh$,where $P_a$ is the atmospheric pressure.
This is considered a 'paradox' because one might intuitively expect that a vessel containing more liquid would exert more pressure at the bottom,but the normal forces exerted by the slanted walls of the vessel compensate for the difference in weight,ensuring the pressure remains uniform.