The relationship between the mass and the terminal

velocity of a falling object

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1. Research design
1.1 Introduction
The concept of terminal velocity plays a crucial role in a lot of real-life
applications when object falls through highly viscous liquids, such as oil. In the
petroleum industry, the initial velocity of particles or objects may greatly affect
the efficiency of fluid separation processes and the equipment operation. I
decided to investigate the topic of the influence of the body’s mass and
volume on its terminal velocity. The study of this could help optimize pipeline
systems, reducing blockages and sedimentation. Hence, I designed a
methodology to investigate the impact of increasing mass and volume
proportionally to the terminal velocity by maintaining constant density.

This relationship is important for various applications in engineering and

industry, such as designing underwater equipment, optimizing buoyancy in
marine environments, and improving fluid transportation systems. By using
spheres of different masses and volumes but with identical density, the
experiment provides a clear understanding of how these variables interact to
determine the terminal velocity in a viscous medium. Oil, with its high
viscosity, allows for more precise observations of the velocity changes,
offering valuable insights into fluid behavior that can be applied to both
theoretical and practical situations.

1.2 Background information:

In fluid dynamic, the drag force is a force acting opposite to the relative motion
of an object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. Viscosity plays a
crucial role in determining terminal velocity because it dictates how much
resistance the fluid exerts on the moving object. According to Stoke’s Law, for
small spherical objects falling through a viscous fluid undergoing the laminar
flow, the drag force is directly proportional to the fluid’s viscosity. A higher
viscosity leads to a greater drag force, which in turn lowers the terminal
velocity. Conversely, in less viscous fluids, the object experiences less
resistance and reaches a higher terminal velocity.
Fd=6πrsηvs (Equation 1)
Where:
Fd – the drag force (N, kg m s-2)
rs– radius of the sphere (m)
η – fluid viscosity (Pascal-seconds / kg m-1 s-1)
vs – velocity of the sphere relative to the fluid (m s-1)
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Buoyant force is an upward force exerted on sphere submerged in the fluid. It
is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the sphere, which depends on
the density of the fluid and the volume of the sphere.
Fb = ρf Vs g (Equation 2)
Where:
Fb – buoyant force (N, kg m s-2)
ρf – density of the fluid (kg m-3)
Vs – volume of the displaced fluid / the volume of the sphere (m3)
g – gravitational acceleration (m s-2, N kg-1)

The other force acting on the sphere is the gravitational force. This force pulls
the sphere downward and causes acceleration of the sphere due to gravity. It
is expressed as the weight which is dependent on the mass of the sphere and
the gravitational acceleration.
Fg = m s g

However, the mass of the sphere could be written in terms of the density and
the volume of the sphere; therefore, the gravitational force equation is
rewritten as:
Fg = ρs Vs g (Equation 3)
Where:
Fg – gravitational force (N, kg m s-2)
ρs – density of the sphere (kg m-3)
vs – volume of the sphere (m3)
g – gravitational field strength (m s-2, N kg-1)

Terminal velocity is the steady speed achieved by an object falls freely

through a fluid. In this experiment, the sphere experiences the gravitational
force pulling downward and the combination of drag and buoyant in a
opposite direction. Initially as the velocity vs increases, the drag force grows
until reached the terminal velocity. When vs = vt, where vt is the terminal
velocity (m s-1) of the sphere, the gravitational force is equal to the sum of the
drag and buoyant force where the net force of the sphere is zero. The
relationship can be expressed as:
Fg = Fb + Fd

Using the formulas presented earlier, equations may be derived:

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 ρ s Vs g = ρ f Vs g + 6πrsη vt (Equation 4)

Then, the equation could be rearranged to find the terminal velocity vt:
6πrsη vt = ρ s Vs g - ρ f Vs g
Hence, the second expression may be simplified using the formula for the
volume of a sphere:
6πrsη vt = ( ρ s - ρ f ) 4 π r3 g (Equation 5)
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4 3
vt = 3 π r g ( ρ s - ρ f )
6 πr η
Hence, the final equation may be expressed as:

vt = ( ρ s−ρ f )2 g × r 2 (Equation 6)
9η
Where:
( ρ s−ρ f )2 g – the gradient of the graph
9η
r – the independent variable
2

vt – the dependent variable

The terminal velocity is therefore directly proportional to r 2 and inversely
proportional to η

1.3 Research question

How does the mass of a sphere (0.13, 0.26, 0.45, 0.90, 2.11, 4.12, 8.52g) and
volume in respect affect the terminal velocity (ms-1) when dropped from a
constant height?

1.4 Hypothesis

1.5 Experimental design

Variables
Independent variables:
 Mass of the sphere in g
The varied parameter is the mass of spheres of different sizes. As the masses
increase, maintaining a consistent diameter becomes challenging, leading to a
proportional increase in volume. Despite this change, the density of the sphere
remains constant throughout the experiment.

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Dependent variables:
 The terminal velocity of the ball (ms-1)
This is measured by recording the fall of the sphere in oil using slow motion
video taking.

Control Variables:

Control Variables
Variables Significance How will it be controlled?
Fluid type The viscosity of the fluid the ball is It is controlled by using the
(Vegetable oil) traveling will change the amount of same fluid type for all the
drag force encountered by the ball. A readings taken.
change in the fluid type can result in
a change in the viscosity, thus
affecting the data.
Density of the The mass and volume of the sphere Ensuring the density of the
sphere is being proportional, which spheres is constant for all
maintains a consistent density. measurements.
0.008±0.001 g/cm3
Drop height To ensure the terminal velocity is Ensuring the sphere is
reached by the sphere, they need to dropped at the top of the
be dropped from an appropriate cylinder in every trail
height. The sphere must be dropped,
rather than thrown, as this could
affect the initial velocities of the
bodies.
Constant Temperature of the fluid affects its Ensuring the experiment is
density and density, and hence affecting both the conducted in a room
temperature buoyant and drag forces, affecting temperature and constant
of the fluid the terminal velocity of the body density for all measurements.
0.87± 0.01 g/cm3
Experimental The apparatus utilized like the No changing the equipment
setup volume of the fluid, or the camera during the data collection
angle should be kept constant process.
Table 1: control variable
1.6 Risk assessment
 The camera and the cylinder were positioned securely to avoid the risk of

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 failing, tripping, and injury due to broken glass.
 The oil wastage was kept to a minimum, as the cylinder was filled once and only
refilled if necessary. The oil left after the experiment will be reused by the physic
apartment.

1.7 Materials
Apparatus Quantity Uncertainty
Different masses of sphere 7 N/A
Electronic weighting balance 1 ± 0.001 kg
Glass cylinder 1 ±0.05 cm
Ruler 1 N/A
Video camera 1 N/A
Clamp Stand 1 N/A
Magnet 1 N/A
Micrometer 1 ± 0.001 mm
Table 2: Apparatus

1.8 Methodology
1. Using a ruler to draw interval from the bottom of every 5 cm until 65 cm on the
cylinder.
2. Fill the cylinder and ensure the height of the oil is equal to 65 cm.
3. Set the camera in front of the cylinder.
4. Using a micrometer to measure the radius of the sphere.
5. Measure the mass of the sphere by an electronic weighting balance.
6. Start the recording.
7. Hold the first sphere of mass 0.13 g directly above the cylinder.
8. Drop the sphere and record the sphere’s fall.
9. Stop the recording.
10. Use a magnet to take out the sphere from the cylinder.
11. Refill the oil if necessary.
12. Repeat step 4-9 three more times.
13. Repeat step 4-12 for the remaining masses (0.26, 0.45, 0.90, 2.11, 4.12, 8.52g)

2. Analysis

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 Work Cited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_(physics)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokes%27_law
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-college-physics-1/
xf557a762645cccc5:fluids/xf557a762645cccc5:buoyant-force/a/buoyant-force-and-
archimedes-principle-article
https://www.powerblanket.com/blog/let-it-flow/