Water -Block A block is submerged in a container of water and remains at rest with the only forces exerted on it being gravity and forces exerted by the water. The force exerted by the water on the bottom of the block is greater than the force exerted by the water on the top of the block. Which of the following is an explanation of the microscopic cause of the difference in the forces? The block exerts a downward force on the water equal to the block's weight. The net force exerted by the water on the block is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force the block exerts on the water, as required by Newton's third law. The molecules of water hitting the bottom of the block have a greater average speed than those hitting the top of the block, and thus they exert a greater force. ni The contact force between the water and the bottom of the block is fundamentally due to interatomic electric forces.