PHYSICS A/L 2024

Unit 2:
Mechanics Excellent in English Medium

Tutorial No: 18
Fluid
Sudheera Jayamanna
Dynamics

1. Draw streamlines around each of the following obstacles when fluid flows from left to right.

(b)

(a)

2. Draw streamlines through the pipe passing from left to right given below and sketch graphs to
show the variation of speed and pressure with the distance from the left end of the tube.

3. There is a streamline flow through the pipe (horizontal) given in the diagram. The cross
section areas of the pipe are 20 cm2 and 5 cm2. Water enters the pipe from the left with a
velocity of 0.004 ms-1. (Take density of water = 1000 kgm-3)

(a) Find the velocity of the flow with which it leaves the pipe.
(b) Calculate the pressure difference at the ends of the pipe.

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4. Water flows steadily through the pipe shown in the figure. The radius of the tube at A and B
are 5 cm and 2.5 cm respectively. If the speed of the flow (v1) and pressure (P1) at A 2 ms-1
and 50 kPa, find the velocity of the flow and pressure at B.

(h1 = 1 m and h2 = 2 m)

5. Water which enters from A leaves from the tubes B and C. Areas of the pipes A, B and C are 8
cm2, 2 cm2 and 3 cm2 respectively. Find the value for v.
B v
A

4 ms-1

C
3 ms-1

6. Water from a tap emerges vertically downwards with an initial

speed of 1 ms-1. The cross sectional area of the tap is 10-4 m2.
Assume that the pressure is constant throughout the stream of
water and that the flow is steady. What is the cross sectional area
of the stream 0.15 m below the tap.

7. The cylindrical tube of a spray pump has a radius of 2 cm, one end of which has 25 tiny holes
each of radius 2 mm. If the speed of flow of the liquid in the tube is 3 cms -1, use the equation
of continuity to find the speed of ejection of the liquid through the hole.

8. Water ejects from the nozzle of a horizontal pipe with a velocity of 10 ms-1. Velocity of the
flow in the pipe is 2 ms-1. If atmospheric pressure is 100 kPa and density of water is 1000
kgm-3, what is the pressure of the water in the pipe?

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9. Water flows steadily along a horizontal pipe at a volume rate 8 x 10-3 m3s-1.If the area of cross
section of the pipe is 40 cm2,
i. Calculate the flow velocity of water.
ii. Find the total pressure in the tube if the statistical pressure in the horizontal pipe is
3.0 x 104 Pa, assuming that water is incompressible, non-viscous and its density is
1000 kgm-3.
iii. What is the new flow velocity if the total pressure is 3.6 x 104 Pa?

10.

11. The device shown below is a Venturi meter which provides a method to determine the flow
rate of a fluid through a pipe. The fluid flowing through the tube is water.

(a) If h = 10 cm, determine the pressure difference between locations 1 and 2 as indicated on
the diagram above.
(b) If cross sectional area of the pipe at A1 = 0.04 m2 and A2 = 0.02m2, determine the rate of
flow.
(c) Find the mass of water that flows per 1 minute. (Density of water = 1000 kgm-3)

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12. Air flows over the upper surface of the wings of an aeroplane at a speed of 120.0 m s -1, and
past the lower surfaces of the wings at 110.0 m s-1. Calculate the ‘lift’ force on the aeroplane
if it has a total wing area of 20.0 m2. ( Density of air = 1.29 kg m-3 )

13. An air craft of mass 2 x 106 kg is flying horizontally. The velocity of the air passing the lower
surface of the wings is 100 ms-1. If the total effective area of the wings is 1200 m2, find the
velocity of the air with which the upper surface of the wing is passing.
(density of air = 1.3 kgm-3)

14. A U tube manometer containing water is connected to a nozzle of an air tunnel that discharges
air to the atmosphere as shown in the figure. Area ratio A2 ⁄ A1= 0.25. For given operational
conditions the level difference in the manometer (h) is 90 mm. Density of water is 1000 kgm-3
and density of air is 1.2 kgm-3.

i. What is the average air velocity at the nozzle exit (V2)?

ii. Draw the velocity distribution along the nozzle.
iii. Draw the pressure distribution along the nozzle.

15. Water stands at a depth H in a tank whose side

walls are vertical. A hole is made in one of the
walls at a height h below the surface.
(a) Show that the velocity of water through the
hole is √2𝑔ℎ

(b) If the stream of water emerging from the

hole strikes the floor at a distance R from
the tank, show that R = 2√ℎ(𝐻 − ℎ)

16. A large tank contains water to a depth of 1.0 m. Water emerges from a small hole in the side
of the tank 20 cm below the level of the surface. Use the equations you derived in the above
question to calculate:

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a. The speed at which the water emerges from the hole,

b. The distance from the base of the tank at which the water strikes the floor on which the
tank is standing.
c. If a second hole were to be drilled in the wall of the tank vertically below the first hole, at
what height above the base of the tank would this second hole have to be if the water
issuing from it were to hit the floor at the same point as that from the first hole?

17. A gas of density 2 kgm-3 is flowing in the tuve. If h = 20 mm, find the speed of the flow at A.

13600kgm-3

18. A water barrel having water up to a depth d is placed on a table of height h. A small hole is
made on the wall is made on the wall of the barrel at its bottom. If the stream of water coming
out of the hole falls on the ground at a horizontal distance ‘R’ from the barrel,
Show that the value of d = R2/ 4h

19. The blades of a large wind turbine, designed to generate electricity, sweep out an area of 1400
m2 and rotate about a horizontal axis which points directly into a wind of speed 15 ms -1, as
illustrated in the diagram.
(a) Calculate the mass of air passing per second through the
area swept out by the blades. (Take the density of air to
be 1.2 kgm-3)
15 ms-1
(b) The mean speed of the air on the far side of the blades
is reduced to 13 ms-1. How much kinetic energy is lost
by the air per second?
(c) How many turbines, operating with 70 % efficiency,
would be needed to equal the power output of a single
conventional 1000 MW power station?

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MCQs
20. Bernoulli’s equation is about the conservation of
(1) Mass (2) Momentum (3) Mechanical energy
(4) Mass and energy (5) Momentum and energy

21. A liquid enters into a non-uniform pipe with a velocity V. The diameters of the pipe at the
two ends are D and d. The velocity at which the liquid leaves the tube is

(1) Vd/D (2) VD/d (3) V

(4) Vd2/D2 (5) VD2/d2

22. Incompressible fluid of density 800kgm-3 flows with a velocity 2ms-1 from A and passes the
point B. Diameter of the tube at A is 1.4 cm and diameter of the tube at B is 0.7 cm. The
pressure difference between A & B is

(1) 150 Nm-2 (2) 400 Nm-2 (3)1200 Nm-2

(4) 24000 Nm-2 (5) 36000 Nm-2

23. Figure shows two holes in a wide tank containing water. The
water streams coming out of these holes strike the ground at the
same point. The height to the water level from the ground is

(1) 10 cm (2) 8 cm (3) 9.8 cm

(4) 980 cm (5) 16 cm

24. A river having a constant breadth is flowing steadily at a certain constant speed expect in a
certain region. If the speed of the flow in that region is found to be lower, then which of the
following curves best represents the variation of the depth (d) of the river along the length of
the river (s)?

25. Which one of the following cannot be explained using the Bernoulli’s Principle?
(1) Curving of the path of a spinning ball while moving in air
(2) Upward lift on an aero plane
(3) Action of a spray pump

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(4) Motion of a rocket in space

(5) Rise of smoke through a tall chimney

26. Air flows through the tube PQ at a constant rate. Two ping-pong balls are levitated in
equilibrium above the tiny vertical tubes X and Y through which the air escapes. The heights
of the two balls from the tube at equilibrium are hx and hy respectively. Which one of the
following statements is true?

x y Q
P

(1) If air flows from P to Q, hx > hy (2) If air flows from P to Q, hx = hy

(3) If air flows from P to Q, hx < hy (4) If air flows from Q to P, hx = hy
(5) If air flows from Q to P, hx < hy

27. A non-viscose, incompressible fluid of density ρ flows through a pipe at a speed of v. Two
manometers A and B are connected to the pipe as shown in the figure. If the pressures
measured by the manometer A and manometer B are P1 and P2 respectively, the speed v of the
flow is given

28. Figure shows a burrow of some animals living under ground. The animals maintain the shapes
two entrance A and B to the burrow different from each other and because of this, air (density
1.3 kgm-3) blows past the openings at different speeds of 8 ms-1 and 2 ms-1 as shown in the
figure. If the openings at the same level, the difference in air pressure between the openings
and the direction of the air - movement in the burrow are,

(1) 78 Pa and from B to A.

(2) 78 Pa and from A to B.
(3) 39 Pa and from B to A.
(4) 39 Pa and from A to B.
(5) 3.9 Pa and from B to A.

29. A water-flow system consisting of manometer tubes A, B, C and D is shown in the figure.
Water enters the system at X at a constant rate and at a pressure greater than the atmospheric
pressure and leaves at Y. If the height of the water levels (not indicated in the diagram)
manometer tubes A, B, C and D are HA, HB, HC and HD respectively, then

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(1) HA = HB = HC = HD (2) HC > HA > HD > HB

(3) HB > HD > HC > HA (4) HD > HC > HA > HB
(5) HB > HD > HA > HC

30. A non-viscous fluid of density d has streamlined flow through horizontal pipe of variable
cross section as shown in the figure. If the pressure of the fluid is P at a point where the
velocity of flow is v, what is the pressure at another point where the velocity of flow is 3v?

(1) P –3dv2 (2) P – 4dv2 (3) P + 4dv2

(4) P + 8dv2 (5) P – 8dv2

31. Figure shows an underground cave with two small openings at A and B. A wind is blowing
over the cave. Pressures and velocities of air at A and B are PA, VA and PB, VB respectively.

Which of the following statements is true?

(1) VA > VB and PA > PB, therefore air circulates from A to B through the cave.
(2) VA < VB and PA > PB, therefore air circulates from A to B through the cave.
(3) VA < VB and PA < PB, therefore air circulates from B to A through the cave.
(4) VA > VB and PA < PB, therefore air circulates from B to A through the cave.
(5) PA and PB are the same and therefore air does not circulate through the cave.

32. A non-viscous and incompressible fluid flows

through a tube in which the cross- section is varying
as shown in the figure. The variation of the pressure
p along the axis, OX, is best represented by

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33. Non viscous incompressible fluid flows steadily through

the pipe shown in the figure the variation of the flow speed
v of the fluid along the tube from A to F is best
represented by,

34. A large metal sheet bent into the shape shown in the figure is kept upright on the ground by
means of four stretched ropes fixed to the ground. Magnitudes of the tensions in all ropes, TA,
TB, TC and TD in still air are equal. When wind blows through the sheet in the direction XY,

(1) TA < TB and TD < TC

(2) TA > TB and TD > TC
(3) TA == TB and TC = TD
(4) TA > TB and TC > TD
(5) TA < TB and TC < TD

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35. Figure shows a flow tube corresponding to streamline motion of non-viscous and
incompressible fluid. Which of the following statements is not true with regard to the fluid
flow in such tube.
(1) All fluid particles entering at point P move along the
same path in the tube.
(2) Flow velocity at a given point in the tube may vary with
the time.
(3) Particles moving along a give streamline may have
different velocities at different points in the flow.
(4) Tangent drawn at any point of streamline gives the
direction of flow velocity at that point.
(5) Mass of fluid in the tube is always constant.

Essays

36. (i) Bernoulli’s equation for a fluid flow can be written as P + ½ 𝜌v2 + h𝜌g = contant, where all
symbols have their usual meaning. Applying dimensional analysis only to the term ½ 𝜌v2
show that it has the dimensions of pressure.

(ii) Figure shows a cross section of a wing of an aero plane which is moving through air
horizontally to the left at a constant velocity v relative to the ground.

(a) What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of air at point X relative to the
plane? Assume that air is at rest relative to the ground.
(b) As shown in the figure, the cross-sectional area of a tube of flow exists away from the
wing is A1, and the corresponding area of the same tube of flow over the top surface of
the wing is A2. If A1/A2 = 1.2, write down an expression for the speed (v’) of air passing
over the top surface of the wing relative to the aero plane in terms of v.
(c) If the plane has a mass of 2.64 x 105 kg and total effective surface area of both wings is
250 m2 , calculate the minimum value of v necessary for the aero plane to just lift-off the
ground.( the density of air is 1.20 kgm-3.)

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(d) The aero plane starts at rest on the runway and applies a constant horizontal driving force
of 6.00 x 106 N from its engines. If the average drag force due to air is 7.20 x 105N, how
far does the aero plane have to travel along the runway in order to achieve the speed v,
calculated in (ii) (c) above?
(iii) The cross section of a wing of the aero plane which is moving 10o to the horizontal just
after take-off is shown in the figure.

(a) Copy the cross section of the wing on to your answer paper and draw the direction of
the net force acting on the wing due to the pressure difference between the bottom
and top of the wing.
(b) Now the speed of air over the top surface of wings relative to the aero plane has
increased to 250ms-1. Assuming the speed of air below the bottom surface of the
wings relative to the aero plane remains the same as in (ii) (a), calculate the net
vertical lifting force actions on the wings now?
(iv)Consider a situation where the plane is moving horizontally at an altitude of 10km with a
speed v1. If the air is at rest relative to the ground at is altitude also, then the value v1
should be greater than the value v, calculated in (ii) (c) above. Give a reason why this is
so. Assume that the mass of the aero plane has the same value given in (ii) (c) above.

37. Write down the Bernoulli equation for the fluid flow. Clearly identifying the symbols used,
what quantity does each term in this equation represent.
State the conditions under which the Bernoulli equation is valid.
During heavy wind sometimes roofs of closed buildings are blown off. Use the Bernoulli
equation to explain this phenomenon.
(i) A narrow steam of gas blows out of a gas jet in the horizontal direction. In order to
measure the speed of gas at the outlet of the jet, a student uses a U tube which is open at
both ends and containing oil. When U tube is held vertically and close to the outlet so that
only one of the ends is in the steam of gas, ,he notices a difference of 2.4 cm between the
oil levels of the U tube find the speed of gas at the outlet of the jet.
(ii) If the area of cross- section of the gas steam at the outlet is 10-4 m2, find the rate of mass
flow of the gas in the steam.
(iii) Calculate the power of the gas jet,
Density of gas = 1.2 kg m-3
Density of oil = 800 kg m-3

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38. Bernoulli’s equation for a fluid flow can be written as P + ½ 𝜌v2 + h𝜌g = constant, where all
symbols have their usual meaning.

(a) (i) State the conditions under which the Bernoulli’s equation is valid.
(ii) Show that the above equation is dimensionally correct.

(b) The insecticide sprayer shown in the figure has a pump with a diameter of 60 mm. The
diameter of the outlet tube Q is 2 mm and the insecticide level is 90 mm below the tube.
Assume that the pressure at A is same as that as B and air behaves according to the
conditions that you have mentioned in (a) (i)
(i) Calculate the minimum speed with which the piston P of the pump should be pushed if
the air jet in the tube Q is to contain insecticide.
(Take the densities of insecticide and air to be 103 kgm-3 and 2 kgm-3 respectively)
(ii) If the net resistive force acting on the piston of the pump is 20 N, determine the force that
has to be applied on the piston, in order to maintain the speed calculate above.

39. The vertical force (lift) required for the taking off of an airplane is provided by two forces,
one arises due to the Bernoulli Effect and the other due to the hitting of air molecules on the
wings of the airplane. The orientation and the cross sectional view of a wing of an airplane
when it is travelling along the runway for taking off are shown in the figure (1). Here the
bottom surface of the wing makes an angle θ with the horizontal direction

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(a) Take the speed of the airplane on the runway to be v (ms-1) at a certain instant and assume that
air molecules remain still relative to the earth. Also assume that each air molecule has m
consider a complete elastic collision of an air molecule with the wing. [see figure (1).] The
speed of the air molecule relative to the airplane is shown in the figure.
(i) Write down an expression for the change in momentum of the air molecule in the direction
perpendicular to the bottom surface of the wing in term of m, v and θ

(ii) If the number of air molecules hitting the wing during one second is N ,using the result in
(a)(i) above obtain an expression for the vertical force generated by the collisions of air
molecules on the wing in terms of m, v, θ and N

(b) When the airplane is moving ,a wing sweeps an effective cross – sectional area A [figure(2)],
and therefore molecules in a volume Av hit the wing during one second period let the density
of air be d.
(i) write down the total mass of air molecules hitting the wing during one second in terms of
A, v and d
(ii) Hence express N in terms of A, v, d and m
(iii)Obtain an expression for the total vertical force (take as Fc), generated due to the
collisions of air molecules on both wings in terms of A, v, d and θ.
(iv) If θ =100, A = 25 m2 and d = 1.2 kgm-3obtain the value of Fc in terms of v
(take sin θ = 0.2 and cos θ = 1 for θ = 100)

(c) (i) Assume that because of the shape of the wing ,the average speeds of the airstreams relative
7𝑣 5𝑣
to the airplane just above the wing and just below the wing are and respectively. Taking P1
6 6
to be the pressure just above the wing and P2 to be the pressure just below the wing
[figure(3)],show the pressure difference across the wing due to the Bernoulli effect is given by (P2
2
– P1) = 𝑣 2
5

(ii) If the effective surface area of the wing is 120 m2, find the total vertical force on both
wings (say Fb ) due to the above pressure difference ,in terms of v. (Assume cos 100 = 1)

(d) If the mass of the airplane is 4.32×104Kg, calculate the minimum speed required for the plane
to take off.

(e) The maximum possible acceleration of the airplane on the runway is 0.9 ms-2.Assuming that
the airplane accelerates uniformly, calculate the minimum length the runway must for taking
off.

(f) Pilots take off airplanes by accelerating against the direction of wind – whenever possible
explain the reason for this.

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40.

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Applications of Bernoulli's principle

(1) When the air is blown up in the surface of a piece of paper, it’s observed that the paper moves
up. This happened because the air moved at a very high velocity. According to Bernoulli’s
principle, the pressure of the moving air decreases as the speed of the air increases. The higher
atmospheric pressure which acts at the bottom of the paper pushes up the paper.

(2) When the air is blown harder through the straw, the two ping-pong balls will move closely to
each other. The air moved at a very high velocity between the balls. According to Bernoulli’s
principle, the pressure of the moving air decreases as the speed of the air increases. The
higher atmospheric pressure caused the ping-pong balls closer to each other.

(3) When the air blows harder, the ball is not falling down. It is because the air moved at a very
high velocity between the balls and the wall of the filter tunnel. According to Bernoulli’s
principle, the pressure of the moving air decreases as the speed of the air increases .The
bottom of the ball has the higher atmospheric pressure which can hold the ball from falling
down.

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(4) A person who stands near a railway feels like falling into it when suddenly a train moves with
a high speed passes him. It is because the velocity of the air in front of him increases.
According to Bernoulli’s principle, the pressure of the moving air decreases as the speed of
the air increases. The higher atmospheric pressure behind pushes him forward.

(5) When two speed boats move faster and closely to each other, an accident may be occurred. It
is because the water moved at a very high velocity between the boats. According to
Bernoulli’s principle, the pressure of the moving air decreases as the speed of the air
increases. The higher water pressure on either sides of the boats caused its closer to each
other.

(6) Bunsen burner

When the jet of gas flows out from the nozzle with high velocity, the pressure in the Bunsen
burner becomes low (Bernoulli’s principle)A higher external atmospheric pressure will be
sucked into the air hole and be mixed with the gas. The mixture of gas and air allows more
complete combustion of the gas.

(7) Carburettor

When the engine is switched on, air is sucked into the venture tube. Fast moving air in the
narrow section of the tube causes a low pressure at this region. The higher atmospheric
pressure in the petrol compartment will push the petrol into the region. The petrol will mix
with air before it flows into the cylinder engine for combustion.

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