Physics HL: Internal assessment

To what extent does the temperature of Safisha hand sanitizer affect its viscosity?

Session: May 2023

Date: December 4th, 2022

Introduction
While growing up during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a coastal region in Kenya, we were always told
that every 30 minutes we should sanitize our hands as it helps in preventing the spread of the virus,
although the fact that in the coastal regions of Kenya, temperatures fluctuate unpredictably. I noticed that
the fluidity of hand sanitizers was changing. This provoked multiple questions from me such as why the
fluidity changed, does the fluidity affect the effectiveness of the hand sanitizer, and if so what is the
optimal temperature to store hand sanitizer? Leading to the research question of the report to what extent
does the temperature of hand sanitizer affect its viscosity?

Reserch question

To what extent does the tepreature of Safisha hand sanitizer affect its viscosity?

Background information
Hand sanitizer is a liquid or gel, typically one containing alcohol, that is used to clean the hands and kill
infection-causing microorganisms (Rogers, 2020). Which can hence stop the spread of diseases such as
the coronavirus. Temperature is proportional to the average kinetic energy of the particles in a given
substance. Therefore, as the substance's temperature increases, it will increase the particle's kinetic energy
(Kirk, 2014). The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation subjected to tensile
stress (Kirk, 2014), in other words, viscosity is the thickness of the fluid the “thicker” the fluid is the
higher the viscosity, and the“thinner” the fluid is the less its viscosity. A body moving in fluid experiences
a frictional force in the opposing direction of its motion. The size of this force is determined by the shape
of the body, its velocity, and the fluid's internal friction. The dynamic viscosity demonstrates the internal
friction of the fluid. For a lead shot of radius r traveling at a velocity through a fluid of dynamic viscosity,
George Gabriel Stokes developed an expression for frictional force experienced by the object.

𝐹𝑓 = 6π𝑟η𝑣𝑇 (1)

𝐹𝑓= frictional force, 𝑟= lead shot radius, η= fluid viscosity, 𝑣𝑇= Terminal velocity of the lead shot

This links to the research question as it demonstrates the frictional force acting on the lead shot as a result
of the hand sanitizer. When an object moves vertically downwards through a fluid after a period of time, it
will reach terminal velocity, as terminal velocity is the constant speed that a freely falling object
eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further
acceleration. There are three forces acting on the object as demonstrated in figure 1 there is the frictional
force Ff acting upwards given by stokes law, there is the
buoyancy force Fb acting upwards as well due to the fluid
given by Archimedes principle and finally, there is the
weight or the gravitational force Fg acting downwards also
given by Archimedes principle (Kirk, 2014). All these
forces are demonstrated in the diagram below.

According to Archimedes' principle, the following

equation gives the buoyant force.
3
4π𝑟
𝐹𝑏 = 3
ρ𝑔 (2)

𝑟= is the radius of the lead shot, ρ= is the density of the

fluid, 𝑔= is the acceleration due to gravity
According to Archimedes' principle the force of gravitational acceleration is given by the following
equation
3
4π𝑟
𝐹𝑔 = 3
σ𝑔 (3)

𝑟= is the radius of the lead shot, σ= is the density of the lead shot, 𝑔= is the acceleration due to gravity

Assuming that the object is moving at a constant rate, one could say the ball is in terminal velocity.
Therefore the magnitude of the forces in opposite directions have to be equal hence giving us the
following equation (Kirk, 2014).

𝐹𝑔 = 𝐹𝑓 + 𝐹𝑏 (4)

Therefore substituting the above equations into the following, obtaining

3 3
4π𝑟 4π𝑟
3
σ𝑔 = 6π𝑟η𝑣𝑇 + 3
ρ𝑔 (5)

Due to the fact that the aim is to find the viscosity of the fluid have to rearrange the above equation in
order to make the viscosity of the subject of the equation:
2
2𝑟 (σ−ρ) 𝑔
η= 9𝑣𝑇
(6)

−2 −1 −1
The SI physical unit of viscosity is Pascal-second (Pa.s) which is equivalent to 𝑁. 𝑠. 𝑚 or 𝐾𝑔𝑚 𝑠

Archimedes principle, directly links to my research question, as it is able to demonstrate the forces
acting on the lead shot as well as directly linking the terminal velocity of the lead shot to the viscosity of
the hand sanitizer.

Due to the fact that my experiment incorporates Stokes Law, the law makes multiple uncontrollable
assumptions. For example, the law assumes that the fluid has an infinite volume and that the lead shot
falling down the fluid columns is not influenced by the wall's container. Furthermore, it implies that the
fluid flow will be properly streamlined and that there will be no slippage between the sanitizer and the
lead shot - both of which are uncontrollable assumptions established for the experiment (Kirk, 2014).

Hypothesis.
If the temperature of hand sanitizer increases then the viscosity of the sanitizer will decrease. This is
because as the temperature rises, the kinetic energy of the molecules within the sanitizer will increase
causing them to vibrate faster, and hence, the intermolecular bonds holding the molecules closer together
will gradually weaken thus the internal friction of the fluid will decrease. Due to this decrease in friction,
the terminal velocity of the ball going through the fluid will increase, and hence according to equation (6)
as the terminal velocity increases the viscosity of the sanitizer will decrease. Hence given the above it can
be deduced that as the temperature of the hand sanitizer raises the viscosity of the sanitizer decreases.

Variables
Independent variable -Temperature of the Safisha hand sanitizer, This was measured in degrees celsius,
this was varied by heating up the sanitizer using a heater and cooling using a fridge in order to reach the
desired temperature and then removing it from the heater and cover it with wool in order to minimize the
amount of heat loss to the surroundings, this will be done in intervals of 10 degrees celsius between 0
degrees celsius to 70 degrees Celsius, this has an uncertainty of ± 0.1°C. The range of these values was
selected as meeting temperatures below 0 degrees celsius proved impossible given the apparatus and 80
degrees celsius is the boiling point of the hand sanitizer and as it reaches those high tempreatures the
trend does not continue as the heat enrgy supplied is braking the intermolecular bonds causing it to turn
into a gaseous state.

Dependent variable- The viscosity of hand sanitizer, This was measured by measuring the amount of time
taken in seconds for the ball at terminal velocity to travel 0.56 meters utilizing vernier photogate sensors.
The utilization of this apparatus would aid in reducing errors due to its limited uncertainty of ±0.00001s.
Through this, it will be possible to calculate the velocity using the formula v=d/t, then utilize equation (6)
to calculate the viscosity of the fluid.

Control variables
Variable How and why it needs to be controlled

The density of the lead shot This was done by utilizing the same lead shot throughout the whole
experiment to avoid the change in density as it could increase or decrease
the amount of time the lead shot will take to travel the same distance
depending if the density.

The radius of the lead shot This was done by utilizing the same lead shot throughout the whole
experiment to avoid the change in density, As this could increase or
decrease the surface area of the lead shot which will affect its terminal
velocity as could affect the amount of frictional force acting on the object.

The temperature of the lead This was done by ensuring that once the lead shot is removed from the
shot substance, it will be placed in water of 30 degrees Celsius to maintain the
temperature of the ball throughout the experiment. This has to be
controlled if it is not kept at a constant temperature it could result in a new
thermal energy transfer between the ball and the sanitizer which could
affect the amount of time it takes to reach the bottom of the cylinder.

The density of the hand The density of the sanitizer would remain constant by utilizing the same
sanitizer sanitizer throughout the entire experiment in order to ensure that there is
no change in the frictional force as a result of a change in density.

The drop height of the lead This was done through the use of a clamp above the measuring cylinder
shot where the lead shot will be dropped; this will be done at the same height
 of 2 cm in order to make sure the initial velocity of the lead shot is
constant, in order to minimize error.

Apparatus.

Figure 2: Apparatus
Figure 3: Set up of apparatus

Procedure
1. Pour 2. 5𝐿 hand sanitizer into a beaker
2. Place the lead shot in the water at 30 degrees Celsius
3. Place the beaker into the fridge and cool it to 0 degrees Celsius (Note, when reaching
temperatures above 20 degrees celsius place the beaker on the heater and not in the fridge, and
stir the substance with a spoon in order to ensure equal distribution of heat)
4. Place the vernier photogate sensors at 0.83 meters and at 1.4 meters where the lead shot will be at
terminal velocity
5. Remove the sanitizer from the beaker and pour it into a large measuring cylinder after reaching
the intended temperature
6. Place the lead shot onto a clamp 2cm above the measuring cylinder
7. On the vernier lab quest apparatus click record data
8. Release the ball from the clamp into the hand sanitizer
9. Record the time taken for it to go between the two vernier photogate sensors as given by the
vernier lab quest apparatus
10. Repeat the experiment with the same temperature for 5 trials and calculate the average time taken
11. Repeat the whole procedure for temperatures 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 50, 60, and 70 degrees Celsius

Safety, ethical and environmental considerations

There are safety concerns that arise from this procedure including, the fact that when heated, sanitizer
produces fumes that can cause burns in the inside of the nose (Carolina Center for Recovery, 2022), in
order to minimize these harmful effects I will wear a mask which will filter out these fumes. Additionally,
due to the fact that the sanitizer is heated to high temperatures, it can cause burns if touched, therefore I
will wear the proper lab attire including gloves, safety goggles, and lab coat. In addition to this, there
were ethical concerns that arose from the disposal of this hand sanitizer, as it needs to be disposed of in
sealed bags with a radioactive symbol on them (Wakelam, 2022), as it could cause chemical burns in
humans' noses. Furthermore, an additional ethical concern is the utilization of hand sanitizer during this
dire time, although in order to combat this specific bottles were selected depending on the time to the
expiry date which hence reduced the likelihood that these sanitizers used for the experiment would be
used to help other people prevent the spread of the virus. Note there are no environmental concerns.
Raw data table
Temperature Average Random
°C Time, T (s) (±0.00001s) time taken uncertainty
(± 0.1°C) (s) (s)

0.0 3.34934 3.34763 3.27937 3.36736 3.38328 3.34539 0.051955

10.0 2.96453 2.95812 2.80738 3.01023 2.73734 2.89552 0.136248

20.0 2.47785 2.17932 2.06536 2.15736 2.14286 2.20455 0.206245

30.0 1.79893 1.86933 1.98234 1.61453 1.94372 1.84177 0.091705

40.0 1.48398 1.55894 1.67421 1.32549 1.49623 1.50777 0.175675

50.0 1.23131 1.33943 1.34358 1.28747 1.32286 1.30493 0.056135

60.0 1.09863 1.07312 1.06647 1.03402 1.09676 1.07380 0.032305

70.0 0.89463 0.90937 0.89028 0.90435 0.98407 0.91654 0.066895

Table 1: The table demonstrates how the time taken for the ball to fall changes as the temperature varies

In order to be able to calculate the average of the times I employed the formula

𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠
𝐴𝑣𝑔 = 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠
(7)

For example for the first value of temperature (0 degrees celsius) it was

3.34934+3.34763+3.27937+3.36736+3.38328
5
= 3. 34539 𝑠

The random uncertainty was obtained by the equation (Tsokos, 2016)

𝑚𝑎𝑥−𝑚𝑖𝑛
2
(8)
For example taking the value of the first temperature.

3.38328−3.27937
2
= 0. 051955 𝑠

Processed data tables:

In order to be able to calculate the terminal velocity of the ball traveling through the sanitizer the equation
V=d/t, will be used. Due to the fact that the ball is at terminal velocity and is no longer accelerating, the
equation will uphold. For example for the second value of the temperature
−3
562 × 10 −1
𝑉= 2.89552
= 0. 201 𝑚 𝑠

In order to be able to calculate the uncertainty in the terminal velocity, the formula for the division laws of
uncertainty will be used given by the following equation (Tsokos, 2016).

∆𝑧 ∆𝑥 ∆𝑦
𝑧
= 𝑥
+ 𝑦
(9)

Therefore when substituting the values from the first value for the value for temperature in which the
distance between the two sensors is. Where due to the fact that the distance was measured by a meter ruler
the uncertainty was ±0. 00001
∆𝑧 0.136248 0.00001
0.201
= 2.89552 + 0.00562

−1
∆𝑧 = 0. 010 𝑚 𝑠

This procedure will be repeated for all the values of the terminal velocity as each of them are different due
to the fact that the percentage uncertainty for the time taken varies as the values change. As represented in
the table below.

Temperature°C ±0.1°C −1
Terminal velocity (𝑚𝑠 )

0.0 0.168 ± 0.003

10.0 0.201 ±0.010

20.0 0.264 ±0.025

30.0 0.316 ± 0.016

40.0 0.386 ±0.045

50.0 0.446 ± 0.019

60.0 0.542 ± 0.017

70.0 0.635 ± 0.047

Table 2: The relationship between the temperature and the terminal velocity fo the lead shot
When the data values above are plotted onto a graph it is represented by this
Graph 1: A graph demonstrating the relationship between temperature and terminal velocity.

Graph 1, demonstrates an exponential growth of the terminal velocity when the temperature of the
sanitizer increases. This demonstrates the fact that when there is an increase in the temperature of the
hand sanitizer the viscosity increases exponentially.

Although in order to be able to get the relationship between the viscosity and temperature of hand
sanitizer I will have to employ equation (6). The value obtained for the radius of the lead shot using a
−3 −3
vernier caliper was 8. 00 × 10 𝑚 with an uncertainty of ±0. 05 × 10 𝑚 due to the fact that it is an
analog device and the uncertainty is given by half of the least count.

In addition to finding the radius of the lead shot the equation also requires the density of the lead shot, and
the density equation is given by ρ = 𝑚/𝑣

−3
Through employing a weighing scale the mass of the lead shot obtained was 16 · 10 𝑘𝑔 with an
−3
uncertainty of ± 0. 01 · 10 𝑘𝑔 as it is the least count of the weighing scale and it is a digital device.
Although in order to be able to obtain the volume I will have to use the formula for the volume of a lead
shot.
4 −3 3
𝑣= 3
π(8 × 10 )

−6 −8 3
𝑣 = 2. 14 × 10 ± 4. 01 × 10 𝑚

The uncertainty in the volume was obtained by the power rule of uncertainties which states that if
uncertainty is raised to an exponent you multiply the value of the percentage uncertainty by the power.

Hence when substituting the values to get the density of the lead shot:
 −3
16×10
σ= −6
2.14×10
−3
σ = 7476. 6 ± 186. 8 𝑘𝑔 𝑚

The uncertainty in the value for the density of the lead shot was obtained utilizing equation (9)

To add on in order to find the viscosity it is needed to obtain the density of the hand sanitizer. This was
accomplished by employing the density equation given the following values, this was done by utilizing a
density bottle of 25 ml and a mass of 25.75 grams. When the sanitizer was poured inside the total mass
was 70.91 grams. The uncertainty in the mass is given by the subtraction rule of uncertainty in which you
add the absolute uncertainties of both values. Hence when substituting the value order to obtain the
density
−3
( 70.91−25.75) 10
ρ= −3
25×10

−3 −7 −3
ρ = 1. 8064 × 10 ± 8. 7 × 10 𝑘𝑔 𝑚

The uncertainty above was obtained through equation (9)

Therefore when substituting these values into equation (6) for the second value of the temperature:

−3 2
2(8×10 ) (7476.6−0.0018064) ×9.81
η= 9 (0.201)

η = 5. 19 𝑃𝑎 𝑠
In order to be able to calculate the uncertainty in the viscosity of the hand sanitizer I will utilize equation
(9) as well as the power rule for uncertainty to obtain the uncertainty of the radius and substitute the
above values utilizing the same temperature of 10 degrees Celsius.
−7
∆η 186.8 8.7 ×10 0.010 −4
5.19
= 7476.6
+ −3 + 0.201
+ 1 × 10
1.8064 × 10

∆η = 0. 39 𝑃𝑎 𝑠
Therefore when repeating this formula for the rest of the values for temperature the following table is
obtained.
Temperature°C ±0.1°C Viscosity Pa s

0 6.22 ± 0.27

10 5.19 ± 0.39

20 3.96 ± 0.41

30 3.30 ± 0.25

40 2.70 ± 0.38

50 2.34 ± 0.16

60 1.93 ± 0.11
 70 1.64 ± 0.16
Table 3: Relationship between the temperature and the viscosity of the hand sanitizer

When the table above is plotted on a graph I was able to obtain the following relationship.

Graph 2: Graph demonstrating the relationship between the temperature and the viscosity
The graph above indicates an inversely proportional relationship between the temperature and the
viscosity. This is further backed up by equation (6) demonstrates the same relationship, although in the
graph it is noticeable that towards the higher temperatures the viscosity is decreasing, although, at a
decreasing rate, this is because the temperature is approaching the boiling point of hand sanitizer of 80
degrees celsius and therefore the viscosity of the liquid would not be affected as all the energy being
applied in terms of heat is being used to change the state of matter to the gas of the substance as opposed
to increasing the temperature.

Although in order to be able to linearize it I will have to apply logs to the viscosity giving the following
results.
Temperature°C ±0.1°C ln(viscosity)

0 1.83 ± 0.11

10 1.65 ± 0.07

20 1.37 ± 0.10

30 1.19 ± 0.06

40 0.99 ± 0.14

50 0.85 ± 0.06

60 0.66 ±0.06
 70 0.49 ±0.1
Table 4: Table showing the relationship between the natural log of viscosity against temperature

To obtain uncertainties in logs I utilized the following equation (Tsokos, 2016)

𝑙𝑛(𝑦 )− 𝑙𝑛 (𝑦 )
± 𝑙𝑛(𝑦) = 𝑈𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟
2
𝐿𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
(10)

For example taking the second temperature:

𝑙𝑛(5.58)− 𝑙𝑛 (4.80)
2

± 𝑙𝑛(𝑦) = 0. 07 𝑃𝑎 𝑠

Repete this process for the rest of the values of viscosity in order to be able to obtain the uncertainties.
The data above will give us the following graph.

Graph 3: Graph demonstrating the linearized relationship between the natural log of viscosity and
temperature

We can see from the graph that there is a strong negative linear correlation between the natural log of
viscosity and the temperature, with a correlation coefficient of -0.9971. From the graph above, the
relationship between temperature and viscosity of hand sanitizer can be modeled by the equation

𝑙𝑛(η) =− 0. 01915(𝑇) + 1. 799 (11)

Uncerinity in the gradient
The uncertainty in the gradient will be obtained by inputting the values of the gradient for the maximum
and minimum in equation (8)

(−0.0203) − (−0.01800)
∆𝑚 = 2

−1
∆𝑚 =− 0. 00115 𝑃𝑎 𝑠 °𝐶
 %∆𝑚 = 6. 00%

This can be used to extrapolate the values of viscosity for extremely higher and lower values not covered
in the experiment.

Within the linearized graph, the value for the correlation coefficient is -0.9971, demonstrating a very
strong negative linear correlation, this value is high enough to establish a relationship between the natural
log of viscosity and the temperature. The graph demonstrates a directly proportional relationship, in the
opposite direction between the natural log of viscosity and the temperature in which as the temperature
increases the natural log of viscosity would decrease.

According to the MDPI, the literature value of hand sanitizer at room temperature is 4.7 Pa s, although the
value that I was able to obtain was (3.96 ± 0.41) Pa s, the change in the values of viscosity can be
attributed to the fact that each hand sanitizer has different components that vary in quantities. Therefore
the viscosity of hand sanitizer will vary as the ingredients used and the quantities also vary. (Fallica et al.,
2021)

Evaluation and Conclusion

In conclusion to be able to answer the question this investigation aimed to look at; To what extent does
the temperature of hand sanitizer affect its viscosity? I have performed the above experiment, although
there have been some strengths and limitations to it, as demonstrated below.

This investigation supports my hypothesis as it stated that as the temperature increases the viscosity of
the hand sanitizer decreases, this is evident by the processed data in graph 2, showing an inversely
proportional relationship between the viscosity of the hand sanitizer and the temperature, this is shown by
the data points where the change in viscosity between 40, 50 and 60 degrees celsius was 2.70 Pa s than
2.34 Pa s and then 1.93 Pa s respectively. This change in viscosity demonstrates a negative exponential
growth between the viscosity of the substance and its temperature. Although when linearizing this graph
using the natural log of viscosity I was able to obtain a directly proportional graph with a negative
gradient giving the relationship off 𝑙𝑛(η) =− 0. 01915(𝑇) + 1. 799 with a correlation coefficient of
-0.9971which can hence use to predict how the viscosity would change as the temperature continues to
rise of falls.

This causes the question to arise, what does this mean? How does knowing the viscosity of sanitizers at
different temperatures help anyone in any way? Well, according to the MDPI, the optimal viscosity of
hand sanitizers ranges between 4.7 Pa s and 15.0 Pa s, this is the viscosity at which the sanitizer is not too
“sticky” that we are unable to spread it over our hands properly, or not too “fluid” that it is ineffective and
most of the sanitizer falls off our hand before it is absorbed. Hence according to the data in graph two, I
am able to conclude that the optimal storing temperature of hand sanitizer ranges between 0 degrees
celsius to 12 degrees Celsius, in order to be able to fall in the range recommended by the MDPI. (Fallica
et al., 2021)

Strengths
The experiment yielded a temperature-viscosity relationship, allowing me to draw accurate conclusions.
This shows that the procedure utilized in this experiment was valid.

A strength of this experiment was that there was a variety of 8 different temperatures and each of them
was repeated for 5 trials in order to minimize the effect of a random error on the final data. For example,
for 20 degrees Celsius, the first trial was higher than all the other trials as well as the average with a value
of 2.47785 seconds, while all the other values were approximately 2.1 although due to the fact that
multiple trials were down it reduced the effect of the random error, bringing the average down to 2.20455
seconds.

The use of a magnetic ball, made it possible to use the magnet to swiftly remove the ball from the
measuring cylinder in between trials this meant that the temperature of the hand sanitizer remained as
close to its initial temperature as possible because there was minimum cooling time given between trials,
this is demonstrated by the fact that in the value of 0 degrees celsius, the values for all the trials are
extremely close together, this is shown that for trial 1 the time waken was 3.34934 s, trial 2 was 3.34763s,
trial 3 was 3.27937 s, trial 4 was 3.36736 and finally, trial 5 was 3.38328. This precision in the trials
demonstrates that there was minimal heat loss to the environment during trials as there amount of time
taken between the trials has a high precision.

Furthermore, an additional strength of this experiment it utilizing the vernier photogate in order to be able
to measure the amount of time taken for the ball to fall between them this is evident by the fact that the
uncertainty in the time taken is extremely small with a value of ± 0.00001 seconds, which is extremely
accurate as well as reducing the size of the error bars of all the parts

Limitations
There have been a few experimental limitations that could not be avoided, the first being that I was unable
to accomplish terminal velocity owing to the circumstances of the apparatus. In order to achieve terminal
velocity, I would have to have a glass tube of a very large height although due to the nature of the
equipment I had it was experimentally impossible. Given this limitation, I would be unable to utilize
terminal velocity and so employed the photogate to record the speed at which it passed through the glass
tube, influencing the final result on the viscosity of the sanitizer used, this is evident by the fact that the
literature value given out by the MDPI was 4.7 Pa s (Fallica et al., 2021) although the value I was able to
obtain was 3.96 Pa s, demonstrating the fact that due to this limitation, I was unable to obtain more
accurate values of the viscosity. However, the hypothesized pattern continues: decreased velocity ensures
that the fluid is more viscous.

Furthermore, it was impossible to verify that the temperature stayed consistent during the experiments
after heating or cooling the sanitizer to precise degrees. The experiment's reliability was reduced since the
sanitizer would attempt to return to room temperature as per the concept of thermal equilibrium, which
was an unquantifiable error. For example, my trials involving temperatures at 20 degrees Celsius were
quite spaced out due to the unwanted changes in temperature; as each trial progressed, the velocity in each
trial had also decreased as a result of this, beginning at a speed of 2.47785, then 2.17932, then 2.15736,
then 2.06536, and so on. The time taken decreased when the sanitizer began to heat up from 20 degrees
Celsius to room temperature, and so the time taken declined as the temperature rose. Although I tried to
decrease heat loss by covering the top of the glass tube with a cloth although I couldn't cover it altogether
since the sensors wouldn't be able to know where the ball was, thus it didn't totally eliminate the
inaccuracy.

In addition to the above, another possible error is the metallic ball hitting the edges of the glass tube as it
is falling through the liquid, these collisions have led to drastic uncountable uncertainties in the amount of
time taken to fall through the sanitizer due to fact it will affect the velocity of the ball if it hits the edge,
and due to the fact that this is unquantifiable, it demonstrates that the results of the experiment were not as
accurate as possible. Although the hypothesized pattern continues: decreased velocity ensures that the
fluid is more viscous.
To enhance the concept, I would have utilized a viscometer, which could quickly determine the viscosity
of the fluid. However, due to restricted equipment, I created a plan for my lab in the manner indicated
above. Furthermore, I would make use of a longer and broader tube as part of the device to reduce the
contact of the ball with the tube's walls.

Discussion on further inquiry

To extend this experiment I recommend obtaining how the viscosity varies with temperature in various
viscous fluids such as honey, oil, etc. In order be able to see is the trend is constant for different types of
viscous fluids or if it only works for hand sanitizer.
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