BICOL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Chem 14L: Physical Chemistry for Engineers 1 (Lab)

SY 2019-2020, 2nd semester

Laboratory Activity 2
Measuring Density and Viscosities of Different Fluids
Josh Patrick R. Ante, Carl Anthony M. Buenaflor, Patricia Jane S. Manaog, John
Patrick S. Nuñez

I. Introduction

Viscosity is another type of bulk property defined as a liquid’s resistance to flow.

Viscosity can be not only a fluid’s resistance to flow but also a gas’ resistance to flow, change
shape or movement. The opposite of viscosity is fluidity which measures the ease of flow while
liquids such as motor oil or honey which are “sluggish” and high in viscosity are known as
viscous. One may ask the question of what is actually going on in the liquids to make one type
flow faster and the other more resistant to flow such as the comparison between honey and water
earlier. Because part of a fluid moves, it forces other adjacent parts of the liquid to move along
with it causing an internal friction between the molecules which ultimately leads to a reduced
rate of flow.

There are numerous ways to measure viscosity. One of the most elementary ways is to
allow a sphere, such as a metal ball, to drop through a fluid and time the fall of the metal ball: the
slower the sphere falls, the greater the viscosity that is measured.

In this activity, we'll be measuring a property of fluids called viscosity. Viscosity

describes
how a fluid resists forces, or more specifically shear forces. Shear is the type of force that occurs
when two objects slide parallel to one another. Since fluids are composed of many molecules that
are all moving, these molecules exert a shear force on one another. Fluids with low viscosity
have a low resistance to shear forces, and therefore the molecules flow quickly and are easy to
move through. One example of a low-viscosity fluid is air. Another example is water. Fluids with
high viscosity flow more slowly and are harder to move through. An example of a high-viscosity
fluid is honey.

When an object freefall through a fluid, at some point, the force due to gravity is
balanced by the resistance to shear by the fluid. This is called terminal velocity, and is the point
at which the falling object maintains a constant velocity. Skydivers enjoy one terminal velocity
when they are in free-fall and another, much slower terminal velocity when they change their
shape by releasing their parachutes.

For objects that have simple geometries, such as spheres, the drag on the object can be
calculated with known equations. Because of this, engineers can calculate the terminal velocity
of a sphere falling through a known fluid using the following equation:
2
4 r g( ρ s−ρf )
V s=
9 μ
where g is acceleration due to gravity, ρ is the density of the sphere, ρ is the density of the fuid, μ
(mu) is the viscosity of the fluid, and Vs is the terminal velocity of the sphere. Using algebra, the
equation can be re-arranged in order to calculate the viscosity of an unknown fluid falling at a
known terminal velocity:
2
4 r g (ρs −ρf )
μ=
9 Vs

II. Materials and Methods

Materials needed:
Ruler stopwatch
Graduated cylinder marble or steel ball
Calculators three fluids (e.g. corn oil, honey, engine oil, maple syrup, water)
Procedure:
1. Each group choose three fluids to measure the viscosity
2. Calculate the density of the fluid using the following procedure.
a. Weigh the empty graduated cylinder.
b. Fill the cylinder with the fluid and record the volume.
c. Weigh the full graduated cylinder. Subtract the mass of the empty graduated cylinder
to determine the mass of the fluid.
d. Calculate the density according the formula below.
mass of fluid ,(kg)
density , ρ=
volume of fluid ,( m3 )
3. Measure the density of the sphere using the procedure below.
a. Measure the radius of the ball. Record as r.
b. Calculate the volume of the sphere using the formula below.
4 3
Volume= r
3
4. Drop the ball into the fluid, timing the ball as it falls a measure distance.
5. Calculate the velocity of the ball falling through the fluid.
distance travel by the ball ,(m)
V s= drop ,(s )¿
time elapsed for the ball ¿
2
4 r g ( ρs −ρf )
6. Calculate the viscosity of the fluid using the following equation. μ=
9 Vs
7. Repeat the procedure to get three trials.
8. Repeat entire procedure for the other fluids.

III. Results and Discussion

Maple Syrup Water Corn Oil

 DENSITY MEASUREMENT
mass of fluid, g 51.045 50.051 44.567
3
volume of fluid, cm 50 50 50
3
density of fluid, g/cm 1.0209 1.00102 0.89134
mass of marble, g 4.86 4.86 4.86
3
volume of the marble, cm 2 2 2
3
density of the marble, g/cm 2.43 2.43 2.43
VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT
Trial 1
distance travelled by ball, cm 12 12.5 12.2
time for the ball to drop, s 1 0.25 0.65
terminal velocity of marble, cm/s 12 50 18.76923077
viscosity of the fluid, Pa-s 2.8798 0.7009  2.0105 
Trial 2
distance travelled by ball, cm 12 12.5 12.2
time for the ball to drop, s 0.91 0.32 0.66
terminal velocity of marble, cm/s 13.18681319 39.0625 18.48484848
viscosity of the fluid, Pa-s  2.6207  0.8972  2.0414
Trial 3
distance travelled by ball, cm 12 12.5 12.2
time for the ball to drop, s 0.97 0.25 0.65
terminal velocity of marble, cm/s 12.37113402 50 18.76923077
viscosity of the fluid, Pa-s  2.7935  0.7009  2.0105
Average Viscosity, Pa-s 2.7647 0.7663 2.0208

Guide questions:
1. Plot the fluid Table 1. Data for Density measurements and Viscosity measurements
density versus viscosity for the three fluids. Describe the observed patterns.
 Density versus Viscosity
3

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
Maple Syrup Corn Oil Water

Average viscosity Density

 The Maple syrup is the densest among the three fluids, next is the water then the corn oil.
In terms of viscosity the most viscous fluid is the Maple syrup, next is the corn oil and
the least viscous fluid is water. It was also observed that even water is denser than the
corn oil, the water is less viscous than the corn oil.

2. What is the density and viscosity of a fluid?

 Density is the compactness of a fluid it is also the measure of spaces between two
particles in a given fluid. Viscosity is the parameter to measure the thickness or thinness
of any given fluid or in other words the resistance of a fluid to flow. Viscosity and
Density are the characteristics of a fluid, but there is no direct relation between viscosity
and density.

3. What is the importance of knowing the viscosity and density of fluids? What are their practical
applications?
 Knowing the viscosity of fluids is important because at a molecular level, viscosity is a
result of the interaction between the different molecules in a fluid. This can be also
understood as friction between the molecules in the fluid. It will also determine the
energy required to make a fluid flow. On the other hand, knowing the density of fluids is
important on how it affects the objects whether it will float or sink. It is an important
property to consider when building things like ships and hot air balloons. It will also
determine how compact the fluid is and how much force is needed to make it flow.
 There are many practical applications for viscosity and density. For viscosity the practical
application includes inkjet printing, protein formulations and injections, and even food
and beverage manufacturing etc. For density, in ships and submarines, plumbing systems,
oil spills etc.

4. Measuring of physical properties of fluids like viscosity and density is part of the study of
fluid mechanics. Why would engineers need to be concerned with fluid mechanics?
 Engineers are interested in fluid mechanics because of the forces that are produced by
fluids and which can be used for practical purposes like for example in jet propulsion,
 aerofoil design, wind turbines and hydraulic brakes in which the two properties greatly
affect which factors. In knowing these properties engineers can recognize some fluid
properties and types of flow of the fluid. Fluid mechanics is also important in the flow of
water in underground aquifers that supply water for irrigation or drinking, for disposal of
waste in rivers, estuaries and coastal areas and also for flood prediction.

IV. Conclusion
V. References

 Atkins, P. et. al. (2006). Physical Chemistry 8th edition. Great Britain: Oxford University
Press.
 Petrucci, et al. (2007). General Chemistry: Principles & Modern Applications. 9th ed.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
 Viswanath, Rani, Kalipatnapu, et al. (2007). Viscosity of Liquids: Theory, Estimation,
Experiment, and Data. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
 Natarajan, G, and Viswanath, D (1989). Data Book On The Viscosity of Liquids. United
Sates of America: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.