Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ?

Objective

To find out which fluid is most viscous.

Apparatus

1. Sphere

• The sphere can be a small marble or steel ball. Make sure its diameter is no
greater than half the diameter of the graduate cylinder so it can easily be dropped
into the cylinder.

2. Graduated cylinder

• A graduated cylinder is a plastic container that has graded markings on the side
that allow you to measure volume.

3. Ruler

4. stopwatch

• You can use a watch instead of a stopwatch, but your measurements will be
more accurate with a stopwatch.

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 1

 5. A calculator

6. The liquid in question

• The liquid must be clear enough to see the marble as it’s dropped through the
liquid. Try testing many different liquids with different flow rates to see how their
viscosities differ. Some common liquids you could try including water, honey, corn
syrup, cooking oil, and milk.

To calculate viscosity you can also use any of these following measurement
devices.

1. Falling ball viscometers

2. Viscosity Cups

3. Consistometers

4. Glass Capillary Viscometers

5. Tuning fork vibration Viscometers

6. Rotational Viscometers

Introduction

What is Viscosity ?

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 2

 💡 Most fluids offer some resistance to motion, and we call this resistance
“viscosity.”

Viscosity arises when there is relative motion between layers of the fluid.
More precisely,

it measures resistance to flow arising due to the internal friction between

the fluid layers

as they slip past one another when fluid flows. Viscosity can also be
thought of as a

measure of a fluid’s thickness or its resistance to objects passing through

it.

A fluid with large viscosity resists motion because its strong intermolecular
forces give it

a lot of internal friction, resisting the movement of layers past one another.
On the

contrary, a fluid with low viscosity flows easily because its molecular
makeup results in

very little friction when it is in motion. Gases also exhibit viscosity, but it is
harder to

notice in ordinary circumstances.

The SI unit of viscosity is poiseiulle (PI). Its other units are newton-second
per square

metre (N s m-2) or pascal-second (Pa s.) The dimensional formula of

viscosity is [ML-1T-

1].

The viscosity of liquids decreases rapidly with an increase in temperature,

and the

viscosity of gases increases with an increase in temperature. Thus, upon

heating, liquids

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 3

 flow more easily, whereas gases flow more slowly. Also, viscosity does not
change as the

amount of matter changes, therefore it is an intensive property.

Examples of Viscous substance

💡 Oil, Honey, Dental Paste, Hair gel, Glycerin, Alcohol

Viscosity Formula

💡 Viscosity is measured in terms of a ratio of shearing stress to the velocity

gradient in a fluid. If a sphere is dropped into a fluid, the viscosity can be

determined
using the following formula:

Where ∆ρ

is the density difference between fluid and sphere tested, a

is the radius of the sphere, g
is the acceleration due to gravity and v

is the velocity of the sphere.

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 Unit of viscosity

💡 SI unit = pascal seconds (Pa *s) or kg/ms

CGS Unit = Poise (P)

Importance of Viscosity

💡 What happens when you pour 500ml of water on someone’s head. It runs
through their hair and flow over their face. but what happens when you
pour 500ml of honey on someone’s head ? it takes its own time in running
its course through that persons head, doesn’t it ?why the difference ? this
is because of property of fluids called viscosity.

HONEY TAP WATER

Theory

🔖 Gather the necessary materials for the experiment

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 5

 To calculate viscosity of a liquid, you will need a sphere, a graduated cylinder, a
ruler, a stopwatch, the liquid in question, a scale, and a calculator.

This experiment has many steps, but when followed correctly, they will allow you to
calculate the viscosity of any liquid.

The sphere can be a small marble or steel ball. Make sure its diameter is no
greater than half the diameter of the graduate cylinder so it can easily be
dropped into the cylinder.

A graduated cylinder is a plastic container that has graded markings on the side
that allow you to measure volume.

You can use a watch instead of a stopwatch, but your measurements will be
more accurate with a stopwatch.

The liquid must be clear enough to see the marble as it’s dropped through the
liquid. Try testing many different liquids with different flow rates to see how their
viscosities differ. Some common liquids you could try including water, honey,
corn syrup, cooking oil, and milk.

🔖 Calculate the density of your chosen sphere

The density of both the sphere and the liquid are needed to perform the viscosity
calculation. The formula for density is 
{d=m/v}
where d
is density, m
is the mass of the object, and v
is the volume of the object.

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 6

 Measure the mass by placing the sphere on a balance. Record the mass in
grams (g).

Determine the volume of sphere using the formula V= (4/3) x π x r, where V is

volume, π is the constant 3.14, and r is the radius of the sphere. You can find the
radius by measuring around the center of the sphere to get its circumference
and then dividing the circumference by 2π.

You can also find volume by measuring the displacement of water in a graduated
cylinder. Record the initial water level, place the sphere in the water, and record
the new water level. Subtract the initial from the new water level. This number
equals the volume of your sphere in milliliters (mL).

Calculate density with the formula . The unit for density is g/ml.

{d=m/v}

🔖 Determine the density of the liquid you are measuring

Using the same density formula from above, you will next calculate the density of the
liquid in question.

Measure the mass of the liquid by first weighing the empty graduated cylinder.
Pour your liquid into the graduated cylinder and then weigh it again. Subtract the
mass of the empty cylinder from that of the cylinder with the liquid in it to obtain
the mass of the liquid in grams (g).

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 7

 To find the volume of the liquid, simply determine the amount of liquid you
poured into the graduated cylinder by using the graded markings on the side of
the cylinder. Record the volume in milliliters (mL).

Use the formula  and your measurements to calculate the density of the liquid in
g/ml.

🔖 Fill and mark the graduated cylinder

First, fill your graduated cylinder with the liquid to be measured. Then, mark the
positions at the top and bottom of the cylinder. Slowly pour your experimental liquid
into the graduated cylinder, filling the cylinder about halfway to three-quarters of the
way to the top

Draw a mark at the top of the cylinder about 2.5 centimeter (1 in) (1 in) from the
top of the liquid.

Draw a second mark about 2.5 centimeter (1 in) (1 in) from the bottom of the
graduated cylinder.

Measure the distance between the top and bottom marks. Place the bottom of
the ruler at the bottom mark and record the distance to the top mark.

🔖 Record the time it takes for the ball to drop between the marks

Drop the ball into the liquid and start the stopwatch when the bottom of the ball
reaches the mark at the top of the cylinder. When the ball reaches the mark you

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 8

 made at the bottom of the cylinder, stop the stopwatch.

Liquids with low viscosities are going to be more difficult to measure with this
method because it will be harder to accurately start and stop the stopwatch.

Repeat this step at least three times (the more times you repeat, the more
accurate your measurement will be) and average the three times together. To
find the average, add up the times for each trial and divide by the number of
trials you performed.

This works best if the ball is small enough that the flow around the ball is truly
viscous and far from turbulent. The ball must also be much smaller than the
container so the ball can be dropped at least 10 ball-radii from the side walls.

🔖 Calculate the velocity of the sphere

Velocity is a measurement of distance traveled over elapsed time to travel that

distance. The formula for velocity is

{v=d/t}
where

v is velocity, 

d is distance traveled, and

t is time.

• Using your measurements, plug them into the equation {\displaystyle v=d/t} to find
the velocity of the sphere.

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 9

 🔖 Calculate the viscosity of the liquid

Plug the information you have obtained into the formula for viscosity: viscosity =
[2(ps-pl)ga2]/9v
where

ps is the density of the sphere,

pl is the density of the liquid,

 g is acceleration due to gravity (a fixed value of 9.8 m/s2),

a is the radius of the sphere, and

v is the velocity of the sphere.

For example, let’s say the density of your fluid is 1.4 g/mL, the density of your
sphere is 5 g/mL, the radius of the sphere is 0.002 m, and the velocity of the
sphere is 0.05 m/s.

Plugging into the equation: viscosity = [2(5 – 1.4)(9.8)(0.002)^2]/(9 x 0.05) =

0.00062784 Pa s

📖 Observation Table

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 10

Which Fluid Is Most Viscous ? 11
 📖 Conclusion

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 Out of all the liquids I tested (honey, water, milk, cooking oil, glycerin, hand sanitizer,
and syrup), honey is the most viscous and milk is the least. During my observations,
I found out that honey and hand sanitizer were very close compared to other liquids
but at the end, honey beat hand sanitizer. I have also found that there is inverse
relationship between the velocity of an object passing through a liquid and the
viscosity of that liquid. Engineers, doctors, volcanologists, and scientists all use
viscosity in practical life.

📖 Application Of Viscosity

The importance of viscosity can be understood from the following examples.

1. The oil used as a lubricant for heavy machinery parts should have a high viscous
coefficient. To select a suitable lubricant, we should know its viscosity and how it
varies with temperature [Note: As temperature increases, the viscosity of the
liquid decreases]. Also, it helps to choose oils with low viscosity used in car
engines (light machinery).

2. The highly viscous liquid is used to damp the motion of some instruments and is
used as brake oil in hydraulic brakes.

3. Blood circulation through arteries and veins depends upon the viscosity of fluids.

4. Millikan conducted the oil drop experiment to determine the charge of an

electron. He used the knowledge of viscosity to determine the charge.

📖 Bibliography

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 HC verma : Introduction to Physics

https://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Viscosity

www.wikipedia.org

www.google.com

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