Pangasinan State University
Bayambang Campus
Bayambang, Pangasinan
TAKE HOME ACTIVITY IN
FLUID MECHANICS
Submitted to: Submitted by:
Mr. Dennis V. Montoya Angelie B. Cabansag
BSE Science 1-1
I. FLUID AT REST
1. A wooden block is on the bottom of a tank when water is poured in.
the contact between the block and the tank is so good that no water gets
between them. Is there a buoyant force on the block? Why?
-Since there is no water under the block to exert an upward force
on it, therefore, there is no buoyant force.
2. Do people weigh less when they are swimming? Discuss?
-Yes, we do weigh lesser in water, especially in a swimming pool
which contains salty water. This is because when we immerse ourselves
in any fluid then the volume of water equal to our volume gets displaced
(the water level rises). They actually are the same weight as they are on
dry land due to gravity acting at a constant acceleration on the mass of
the object. Objects due however "appear" to weigh less in water. This is
due to what is known as buoyancy. Buoyancy is actually the upward
force of a liquid acting on an object that is placed in it.
3. When an ice cube melts in a glass of water, does the water level rise?
-The water level remains the same when the ice cube melts. A
floating object displaces an amount of water equal to its own weight.
Since water expands when it freezes, one ounce of frozen water has a
larger volume than one ounce of liquid water
4. Explain why a steel battleship floats in water even though the density
of steel is much greater than that of water.
- So, in short, an aircraft carrier floats because it weighs less than
the same volume of water—because its average density is less than that
of the water that surrounds it. ... That's less than the density of a solid
metal box or a metal box filled with water, and that's why the ship floats.
It is this upward water pressure pushing on the bottom of the boat that is
causing the boat to float. Each square inch (or square centimeter) of the
boat that is underwater has water pressure pushing it upward, and this
combined pressure floats the boat. The ship is hollow and the empty
space contains air which makes the average density of the ship less than
that of water; if ship was solid piece of iron, it would sink, but since
inside is air, the ship doesn't sink because the buoyancy force is greater
than the weight of the ship.
5. When you pour ketchup, at what part of the container’s opening does
it move fastest? Why?
- The middle. Liquids have a lot more friction against a solid
surface than against themselves. The ketchup against the wall won’t
move at all, and the velocity will be higher as you move to the middle of
the stream.
6. Why are towels dried on a clothesline stiff and scratchy while those
dried in clothes dryer are soft and fluffy?
- Surface tension is the key. Air dried towel are stiff because the
wet fibers of the towel on the lines group together and stick in mats as a
result of the surface tension of the water. As the water evaporate, they
tangle stiffening the fiber. In a clothes dryer the tossing motion and
currents of warm air tend to keep the fibers moving and drying
independently.
7. Why is hot and soapy water better for cleaning than cold soapy water?
- One reason is because warm water penetrates stains much easier
because it penetrates more readily than cold water. ... Still, the stain will
break down to some degree regardless of the material. Therefore, soap
and detergent are known as surfactants which are the more scientific
term for such compounds. Solids like mud and dirt dissolve better in
warm water. The detergent also dissolves in warm water better than the
cool water.
8. A tailor sometimes licks the end of a thread before pushing it through
the eye of a needle. Why? What effect does this action use?
- Surface tension between the wet fibers of the thread hold them
together in a point.
9. Why should some patients exercise in water after an operation or a
long illness?
-The buoyancy of the water allows a reconditioned individual or an
individual with significant joint pathology to exercise by decreasing the
forces needed to move and decreasing the forces on the joint
The pressure on the fluid will apply to the body of the patient and can
compress the bones and return to their proper place.
10. A 1,000-ton ship floats in the ocean. What weight of seawater has it
displaced?
-Since the boat is floating, it must experience an upward force
which equals its weight. The weight of the boat = mg = 1 000 000 kg x
10 ms^-2 = 10 000 000 N. The up thrust must therefore be 10 000 000 N
and the weight of water displaced is therefore 10 000 000 N
11. When water freezes, it expands. What does this say about the density
of ice compared with the density of water?
-This provides more space between the molecules in the crystal
structure of ice than the molecules of liquid water. As a result, ice is less
dense than the liquid form. Water is the only known non-metallic
substance that expands when it freezes; its density decreases and it
expands approximately 9% by volume.
12. Which weighs more, a liter of ice or a liter of water?
-Water is denser, so a liter of water weighs more than a liter of ice.
(Once a liter of water freezes, its volume is greater than 1 liter.)
13. Does Archimedes' principle tell us that, if an immersed object
displaces liquid Weighing 10 N, the buoyant force on the object is 10 N?
Explain.
-Yes. Looking at Newton's Third Law, when the immersed block
pushes 10N of fluid aside, the fluid reacts by pushing back on the block
with 10N of force.
14. A 1-liter container completely filled with lead has a mass of 11.3 kg
and is submerged in water. What is the buoyant force acting on it?
- The buoyant force is equal to the weight of 1 kg because the
volume of water displaced is 1 L, which has a mass of kg and a weight
of 9.8N. The 11.3 kg of lead is irrelevant, 1 L of anything submerged in
water displaces 1 L and is buoyed upward with a force of 9.8N, the
weight of 1 kg.
15. A boulder is thrown into a deep lake. As it sinks deeper and deeper
into the Water, does the buoyant force upon it increase or decrease?
-Remains the same. It doesn't change because the as the boulder
sinks, it displaces the same volume of water at any depth.
16. Since buoyant force is the net force that a fluid exerts on a body and,
as we learned in Mechanics, that net force produces acceleration, why
doesn't a submerged body accelerate?
-It does accelerate if the buoyant force is not balanced by other
forces that act on it--the force of gravity and fluid resistance. ... When its
density is decreased, it displaces a greater volume and the buoyant force
increases.
17. If a fish makes itself denser, it will sink; if it makes itself less dense,
it will rise. In terms of buoyant force, why is this so?
-When the fish increases its density, it displaces less water, so the
buoyant force decreases. When its density is decreased, it displaces a
greater volume and the buoyant force increases.
18. A river barge loaded with gravel approaches a low bridge that it
cannot quite pass under. Should gravel be removed from or added to the
barge?
-Sand should be added, because this sand replaces air inside the
barge, essentially, increasing the density of the barge; as the density of
the barge increases, more of the barge becomes submerged in the water.
19. Why doesn't the pressure of the atmosphere break windows?
-It is exerted on both sides of a window, so no net force is exerted
on the window. If for some reason the pressure is reduced or increased
on one side only, as in a strong wind, watch out!
20. A friend commented that a hydraulic device is a common way of
multiplying energy, what would you say?
-NO. Although a hydraulic device, like a mechanical lever, can
multiply force, it always does so at the expanse of distance. energy is the
product of force and distance.
21. Why does buoyant force act upward on an object submerged in
water?
-The buoyant force on an object submerged in a fluid is caused by
the pressure difference between the top and bottom of the object. The
larger pressure at greater depth pushes upward on the object. Hence, the
buoyant force act upward on an object submerged in water. The pressure
upward on the deeper bottom is greater than the downward pressure on
the top.
22. Why is there no horizontal buoyant force on a submerged object?
-Force vectors on the sides cancel one another.
23. What happens to the pressure in all parts of a confined fluid if the
pressure in one part is increased?
-According to Pascal's principle, what happens to the pressure in
all parts of a confined fluid when you produce an increase in pressure in
one part? The pressure would increase equally in all parts of the fluid. ...
An immersed object is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the
fluid it displaces.
24. Is the buoyant force on a submerged object equal to the weight of the
object itself or equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object?
-It is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. According
to Archimedes′ principle, anybody completely or partially submerged in a
fluid at rest is acted upon by an upward or buoyant force whose magnitude
is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body. Loss in weight of
body = Weight of water (liquid) displaced by the body = Buoyant force or
up thrust exerted by water (any liquid) on the body. Hence, the buoyant
force on a submerged object equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by
the object.
II. FLUID DYNAMICS
25. On a windy day, waves in a lake or the ocean are higher than their
average height. How does Bernoulli's principle contribute to the
increased height?
- The troughs of the waves are partially shielded from the wind, so
air travels faster over the crests. Pressure on the crests is more reduced
that down below on the troughs. The greater pressure in the troughs
pushes water into the even higher crests.
26. What are streamlines? Is pressure greater or less in regions where
streamlines are crowded?
- The smooth paths that a fluid follows. Less.
27. What happens to the internal pressure in a fluid flowing in a
horizontal pipe when its speed increases?
- The pressure decreases when the speed increases.
28. Does Bernoulli's principle refer to changes in internal pressure of a
fluid or to pressures the fluid may exert on objects? Explain.
-Bernoulli's principal is about internal pressures.
29. How does Bernoulli's principle apply to the flight of airplanes?
-Bernoulli's principle helps explain that an aircraft can achieve lift
because of the shape of its wings. They are shaped so that that air flows
faster over the top of the wing and slower underneath. ... The high air
pressure underneath the wings will therefore push the aircraft up through
the lower air pressure.
30. Why does a spinning ball curve in its flight?
-As it travels through the air, the spin causes the ball to disturb the
air around it. Specifically, the spin causes air on one side of the ball to
move faster than the other, resulting in uneven pressure on the ball,
making it curve. Now according to Bernoulli's principle, at the top side
of the ball, due to high velocity a low-pressure region gets created. This
low-pressure region pulls the ball with certain force – Magnus force. A
spinning ball or cylinder curving away from its principal flight path is
called Magnus effect.
31. Why do ships passing each other in open seas run a risk of sideways
collisions?
- Water flowing outside the ships is slower. Streamlines are closer
together between the ships than outside, so water pressure acting against
the hulls is reduced. Greater pressure against the outer sides of the ships
forces them together.
32. Should a propeller driven plane fly more easily on a cold day or a
warm day?
- Cold day. Simply, colder air is denser than warmer air, which
contributes to engine performance and air lift.
33. Explain how a suction cup holds to a surface.
-A suction cup is a flexible concave shaped object that has a soft
sealable rim and some springiness to the cup that forces it back towards
its concave shape. When you press the suction cup against a smooth, flat
surface, you flatten the cup, forcing the air out from between the cup and
the surface.
34. A box sealed airtight sitting on a very sensitive scale weighs
different amounts during the week. Why?
- In all physical and chemical changes, the total number of atoms
remains the same, hence when substances interact with one another,
combine or break apart; the total weight of the system remains the same.
35. If you cough to dislodge a foreign object in your trachea (wind pipe),
the air pushing through the trachea can cause a partial collapse. Why?
- Because the trachea usually enter the esophagus through the
mouth or nose, that may causes breathing problems or choking. The area
around the body can also become inflamed or infected that’s why can
cause a partial collapse.
36. Prairie dogs maintain large burrows, with at least two entrances that
are piled up to a very different elevation. Explain how this difference in
height helps with ventilation in a burrow.
- Air closer to the ground tends to move at slower speeds than air
higher up. The air over an entrance at ground level generally moves
slower than the air over an entrance in a raised mound.
The increased speed of the air over a raised mound entrance decreases
the pressure over that opening. The greater air pressure over a ground-
level entrance produces an unbalanced force that pushes air through the
tunnels and out the higher mound entrance.
37. Inspect the blades on a house fan that’s in use. Invariably there are
small dust particles that stay on even while the blades are moving. Why?
- The reason is that you have a boundary layer on the surface of the
blade of the fan. On the frame of the blade (the blade moves with some
velocity, but at the frame of the blade the air moves) the boundary layer
starts from the surface of the blade where the fluids velocity is zero and
as you move away from the blade, the velocity increases up to the value
of the velocity of the blade (you can call that the undisturbed velocity of
the flow). So, if you have some fine dust, it actually doesn't feel much
wind and it can't be blown away. Static electricity could be another
factor, but you can see that on metallic propellers also.
38. If the acceleration due to gravity near the earth’s surface suddenly
become 0.5g, give two ways this would affect the flight of birds.
- force of gravity will decrease. Weight of birds will be less.
Atmospheric pressure will be decrease. They can fly faster with less
energy.
39. Is there a buoyant force acting on you? If there is, why are you not
buoyed up by this force?
-There is a buoyant force acting on you, and you are buoyed
upward by it. You are not aware of it only because your weight is so
much greater.
40. How does buoyancy change as a helium filled balloon ascends?
-As balloons rise, air pressure around them diminishes. When the
balloon is made of elastic material, it expands because of the excess
pressure inside. Its volume increases and its internal pressure
decreases....In other words, the colder the air, the greater the buoyancy.
41. A small bubble of air trapped in the brake lines of a car lessens the
pressure the brakes apply on the brake shoes or pads. Why?
-When you depress the brake pedal hydraulic force is transferred to
the brake calipers. ... Air is much less dense when compared to the brake
fluid. This means if air is in the lines it will compress too easily. When
this happens, your brakes will feel too soft or even spongy.
God Bless!!!
