A2.

Fluids and Fluid Dynamics [74 marks]

1. A sphere is dropped into a container of oil.
The following data are available.

Density of oil¿ 915 kg m−3

Viscosity of oil¿ 37.9 ×10−3 Pas
Volume of sphere¿ 7.24 ×10−6 m3
Mass of sphere¿ 12.6 g

The sphere is now suspended from a spring so that the sphere is below the surface of the oil.

(a) State two properties of an ideal fluid. [2]

(b) Determine the terminal velocity of the sphere. [3]

(c) Determine the force exerted by the spring on the sphere when the sphere is at rest. [2]

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 (d) The sphere oscillates vertically within the oil at the natural frequency of the sphere-spring
system. The energy is reduced in each cycle by 10 % . Calculate the Q factor for this
system. [1]

(e) Outline the effect on Q of changing the oil to one with greater viscosity. [2]

2. A Pitot tube shown in the diagram is used to determine the speed of air flowing steadily in a
horizontal wind tunnel. The narrow tube between points A and B is filled with a liquid. At point B the
speed of the air is zero.

(a) Explain why the levels of the liquid are at different heights. [3]

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 (b) The density of the liquid in the tube is 8.7 × 102 kg m–3 and the density of air is 1.2 kg m–3. The
difference in the level of the liquid is 6.0 cm. Determine the speed of air at A.

[3]

3. Gasoline of density 720 kg m–3 flows in a pipe of constant diameter.

(a) State one condition that must be satisfied for the Bernoulli equation

1 2
ρv + ρgz + ρ = constant to apply
2
[1]

(b) Outline why the speed of the gasoline at X is the same as that at Y. [1]

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 (c) Calculate the difference in pressure between X and Y. [2]

(d) The diameter at Y is made smaller than that at X. Explain why the pressure difference
between X and Y will increase. [2]

4. A solid sphere is released from rest below the surface of a fluid and begins to fall.

(a) Draw and label the forces acting on the sphere at the instant when it is released.

[1]

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 (b) Explain why the sphere will reach a terminal speed. [2]

(c) The weight of the sphere is 6.16 mN and the radius is 5.00 × 10-3 m. For a fluid of density
8.50 × 102 kg m-3, the terminal speed is found to be 0.280 m s-1. Calculate the viscosity of
the fluid. [2]

5. A horizontal pipe is inserted into the cylindrical tube so that its centre is at a depth of 5.0 m from
the surface of the water. The diameter D of the pipe is half that of the tube.

When the pipe is opened, water exits the pipe with speed u and the surface of the water in the
tube moves downwards with speed v.

(a) An ice cube floats in water that is contained in a tube.

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The ice cube melts.

Suggest what happens to the level of the water in the tube. [2]

(b) Outline why u = 4v. [2]

(c) The density of water is 1000 kg m–3. Calculate u. [2]

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6. The water supply for a hydroelectric plant is a reservoir with a large surface area. An outlet pipe
takes the water to a turbine.

The following data are available:

3 −3
density of water ¿ 1.00 ×10 kg m
viscosity of water ¿ 1.31 ×10−3 Pa s
diameter of the outlet pipe ¿ 0.600 m
−1
velocity of water at outlet pipe ¿59.4 m s
(a) State the difference in terms of the velocity of the water between laminar and turbulent flow.

[1]

(b) The water level is a height H above the turbine. Assume that the flow is laminar in the outlet
pipe.

Show, using the Bernouilli equation, that the speed of the water as it enters the turbine is given
by v = √ 2 gH . [3]

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 (c) Calculate the Reynolds number for the water flow. [1]

(d) Outline whether it is reasonable to assume that flow is laminar in this situation. [1]

7. Two tubes, A and B, are inserted into a fluid flowing through a horizontal pipe of diameter 0.50 m.
The openings X and Y of the tubes are at the exact centre of the pipe. The liquid rises to a height of
0.10 m in tube A and 0.32 m in tube B. The density of the fluid = 1.0 × 103 kg m–3.

The viscosity of water is 8.9 × 10–4 Pa s.

(a) Show that the velocity of the fluid at X is about 2 ms–1, assuming that the flow is laminar. [3]

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 (b) Estimate the Reynolds number for the fluid in your answer to (a). [1]

(c) Outline whether your answer to (a) is valid. [1]

8. Two of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planet Jupiter and the star Vega.
The light observed from Jupiter has a similar brightness to that received from Vega.

Vega is found in the constellation Lyra. The stellar parallax angle of Vega is about 0.13 arc sec.

(a) Identify the mechanism leading stars to produce the light they emit. [1]

(b) Outline why the light detected from Jupiter and Vega have a similar brightness, according to
an observer on Earth. [2]

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(c) Outline what is meant by a constellation. [1]

(d) Outline how the stellar parallax angle is measured. [2]

(e) Show that the distance to Vega from Earth is about 25 ly. [2]

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9. The diagram shows a simplified model of a Galilean thermometer. The thermometer consists of a
sealed glass cylinder that contains ethanol, together with glass spheres. The spheres are filled with
different volumes of coloured water. The mass of the glass can be neglected as well as any expansion
of the glass through the temperature range experienced. Spheres have tags to identify the
temperature. The mass of the tags can be neglected in all calculations.

Each sphere has a radius of 3.0 cm and the spheres, due to the different volumes of water in
them, are of varying densities. As the temperature of the ethanol changes the individual spheres
rise or fall, depending on their densities, compared with that of the ethanol.

The graph shows the variation with temperature of the density of ethanol.

(a) Using the graph, determine the buoyancy force acting on a sphere when the ethanol is at a
temperature of 25 °C. [2]

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(b) When the ethanol is at a temperature of 25 °C, the 25 °C sphere is just at equilibrium. This
sphere contains water of density 1080 kg m–3. Calculate the percentage of the sphere
volume filled by water. [2]

(c) The room temperature slightly increases from 25 °C, causing the buoyancy force to
decrease. For this change in temperature, the ethanol density decreases from 785.20 kg
m–3 to 785.16 kg m–3. The average viscosity of ethanol over the temperature range covered
by the thermometer is 0.0011 Pa s. Estimate the steady velocity at which the 25 °C sphere
falls. [2]

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10. An air bubble has a radius of 0.25 mm and is travelling upwards at its terminal speed in a liquid
of viscosity 1.0 × 10–3 Pa s.

The density of air is 1.2 kg m–3 and the density of the liquid is 1200 kg m–3.

(a) Explain the origin of the buoyancy force on the air bubble. [2]

(b) With reference to the ratio of weight to buoyancy force, show that the weight of the air bubble
can be neglected in this situation. [2]

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 (c) Calculate the terminal speed. [2]

11. A ball is moving in still air, spinning clockwise about a horizontal axis through its centre. The
diagram shows streamlines around the ball.

The surface area of the ball is 2.50 x 10–2 m2. The speed of air is 28.4 m s–1 under the ball and
16.6 m s–1 above the ball. The density of air is 1.20 kg m–3.

(a) Estimate the magnitude of the force on the ball, ignoring gravity. [2]

(b) On the diagram, draw an arrow to indicate the direction of this force. [1]

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 (c) State one assumption you made in your estimate in (a)(i). [1]

12. (a) A solid cube of side 0.15 m has an average density of 210 kg m–3.

(i) Calculate the weight of the cube.

(ii) The cube is placed in gasoline of density 720 kg m–3. Calculate the proportion of the volume
of the cube that is above the surface of the gasoline. [3]

(b) Water flows through a constricted pipe. Vertical tubes A and B, open to the air, are located
along the pipe.

Describe why tube B has a lower water level than tube A.

[3]

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© International Baccalaureate Organization, 2024

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