Aerostatics

(fluid mechanics) The science of the equilibrium of gases and of solid bodies immersed in them when under the influence only of natural gravitational forces.

The science of the equilibrium of gases and of solid bodies immersed in them when under the influence only of natural gravitational forces. Aerostatics is concerned with the balance between the weight of the gases and the weight of any object within them. Archimedes' law that an immersed body experiences a buoyancy force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced is the principal law of aerostatics, if the fluid is air, or of hydrostatics, if the fluid is water. Some phases of meteorology and the flight of balloons and dirigibles are based on aerostatics. In meteorology cloud and fog subsidence and simple pressure and temperature relations with altitude are predicted from aerostatic principles. See also Hydrostatics.