2.

Mechanical Properties of Fluids

Q.1 Select and write the most appropriate answers from given alternatives:
1) Consider a vessel with four arms A, B, C, and D fitted with frictionless, water tight pistons and filled
with incompressible fluid as shown in the figure below. Let the area of cross sections of A, B, C, and
D be a, 2a, 3a, and a/2 respectively. If a force F is applied on the piston A, then the pressure on each
piston is

2) In the figure given below, XY is the free surface of liquid and X’Y’ is the inner layer parallel to XY
at distance equal to the range of molecular force. Then the section _______ near the surface of the
liquid acts as the surface film.

(A) XX’ +Y’Y (B) XX’ -Y’Y (C) XY’ +X’Y (D) XY +X’Y’
3) When the angle of contact is__________, the liquid forms a concave meniscus at the point of
contact.
(A) acute (B) obtuse (C) 180° (D) 360°
4) Branch of physics which deals with the properties of fluids in motion is known as
(A) hydrostatics (B) hydrodynamics (C) electrodynamics (D) electrostatics
5) A fluid flows under the action of
(A) concentration gradient (B) pressure gradient (C) temperature gradient (D) density
gradient
6) The shear modulus of a fluid is
(A) zero (B) one (C) two (D) infinite
7) Bernoulli’s theorem states that the work done per unit volume of a fluid by the surrounding fluid is
equal to the………of changes in kinetic and potential unit volume that occur during the flow.
(A) sum (B) difference (C) product (D) ratio
8) Bernoulli’s theorem is an application of
(A) conservation of energy.
(B) conservation of momentum.
(C) conservation of mass.
(D) quantization of charge.
9) A hydraulic brake system of a car of mass 1200 kg having speed of 60 km/h, has a cylindrical piston
of radius of 0.4 cm. The slave cylinder has a radius of 2.0 cm. If a constant force of 100 N is applied
on the brake then the retarding force acting on the car is
(A) 100 N (B) 200 N (C) 1500 N (D) 2500 N
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10) A vessel of radius 12 cm is filled with mercury. The force of surface tension on any diametrical line
on its surface is [Surface tension of water is0.4355 N/m]
(A) 0.52 × 10¯¹ N (B) 0.52 × 10¯² N (C) 1.04 × 10¯¹ N (D) 1.04 × 10¯² N
11) Two different liquids of density ρ and 2ρ exert the same pressure at a certain point. The ratio of the
heights of the respective liquid columns will be
(A) 1:1 (B) 1:2 (C) 2:1 (D) 2:3
12) A drone cruising at 10000 m has winds blowing at 80 m/s and 70 m/s on the upper and lower sides
of its wings respectively. If the area of the wing is 2.5 m², then the lift on the wing is
(Take Density of air = 1.3 kg m¯³)
(A) 1.734× 10³ N (B) 2.437 × 10³ N (C) 3.432× 10³ N (D) 4.237 × 10³ N
13) The cylindrical tube of a water gun has a cross section of 12 cm², its one end is porous with 50 fine
holes each of 0.5 mm radius. If inside the tube the water flows at 2.5 m / min, then the speed of water
ejecting through the holes is
(A) 1.27 m/s (B) 2.71 m/s (C) 1.27 cm/s (D) 2.71 cm/s
14) The energy stored in a soap bubble of diameter 6 cm and T = 0.04 N/m is nearly
(A) 0.9 × 10ˉ³ J (B) 0.4 × 10ˉ³ J
(C) 0.7 × 10ˉ³ J (D) 0.5 × 10ˉ³ J
15) Two hail stones with radii in the ratio of 1:4 fall from a great height through the atmosphere. Then
the ratio of their terminal velocities is
(A) 1 : 2 (B) 1 : 12 (C) 1 : 16 (D) 1 : 8
16) The SI unit of viscosity is
(A) Nsm² (B) Ns²m (C) Ns/m² (D) N/sm²
17) Coefficient of viscosity changes with the change in
(A) density of the fluid (B) temperature of the fluid
(C) acceleration due to gravity (D) area of cross section of the flow
18) The net cohesive force acting on a molecule deep inside the liquid is
(A) zero
(B) infinite
(C) proportional to the height of the liquid column
(D) proportional to the density of the liquid
19) The atmospheric pressure is generally expressed as the _______of mercury column in a mercury
barometer.
(A) volume (B) width (C) length (D) cross sectional area
20) The dimension of surface tension is
(A) L⁰M¯¹T² (B) L¯¹M¹T² (C) L⁰M¹T¯² (D) L¹M¯²T²
21) When the angle between surface tension with the liquid (θ) is greater than 90°, the liquid becomes
(A) convex upward (B) concave upward (C) flat (D) spherical
22) A hydraulic lift can lift vehicles of masses up to 2000 kg. If the cross-sectional area of the load
carrying piston is 500 cm², then the maximum pressure the smaller piston has to bear is
(A) 2.92 × 10⁴ Pa (B) 2.92 × 10⁵ Pa (C) 3.92 × 10⁴ Pa (D) 3.92 × 10⁵ Pa
23) What is the correct formula for absolute pressure?
(A) Pabs = Pvacuum – Patm (B) Pabs = Patm – Pgauge (C) Pabs = Pvacuum + Patm (D) Pabs = Patm +
Pgauge

(A) Fv ∝ radius of the sphere

24) Which of the following is not true for Stroke’s law?

(B) Fv ∝ velocity of the sphere

(C) Fv ∝ acceleration due to gravity
(D) Fv ∝ coefficient of viscosity
25) The continuity equation says that the __________of an incompressible fluid for a steady flow is the
same throughout the flow.
(A) volume rate of flow (B) density (C) critical velocity (D) coefficient of viscosity
26) A force of 10 N acting on 1 cm² results in a pressure of
(A) 10 Nm¯² (B) 10² Nm¯² (C) 10³ Nm¯² (D) 10⁵ Nm¯²
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27) A piston of cross sectional area 4cm² pushes the liquid out of a tube whose area at the outlet is 50
mm². The piston is pushed at a rate of 2 cm/s. The speed at which the fluid leaves the tube is
(A) 0.11 cm/s (B) 0.16 cm/s (C) 0.11 m/s (D) 0.16 m/s
28) In Bernoulli’s theorem, which of the following is conserved?
(A) linear momentum (B) angular momentum (C) mass (D) energy
29) _________ consists of a gas of ions, free electrons and neutral atoms.
(A) Solids (B) Liquids (C) Gases (D) Plasma
30) A hydraulic lift is designed to lift heavy objects of maximum mass 2000 kg. The area of cross
section of piston carrying the load is 2.25 × 10ˉ² m². What is the maximum pressure the smaller
piston would have to bear?
(A) 0.8711 × 10⁶ N/m²
(B) 0.5862 × 10⁷ N/m²
(C) 0.4869 × 10⁵ N/m²
(D) 0.3271 × 10⁴ N/vm²

(A) Rn ∝ critical velocity (B) Rn ∝ density of fluid

31) Identify the INCORRECT relation for Reynold’s number, Rn.

(C) Rn ∝ diameter of the tube (D) Rn ∝ coefficient of viscosity

32) Bernoulli’s equation relates the speed of a fluid at a point, the pressure at that point and the
(A) acceleration due to gravity.
(B) height of that point above a reference level.
(C) viscosity of the fluid.
(D) coefficient of viscosity of the fluid.
33) Water flows through a tube as shown in the given figure.

If the speed of flow of water at point A is 1 m/s and at point B is 4 m/s, then the difference in
mercury level is (Take g = 9.8 m/s)
(A) 0.77 cm (B) 1.77 cm (C) 0.77 m (D) 1.77 m
34) Observe the figure and answer carefully. Consider a spherical object falling through a viscous fluid.
The net downward force experienced by it during its downward motion is
[Fg is the gravitational force, Fv is the viscous force and Fu is the up thrust]

35) Doors of a dam are 30 m below the surface of water in the dam. If one door is opened, then the speed
of the water that flows out of the door is (Take g = 9.8 m/s)
(A) 24.25 cm/s (B) 42.42 cm/s (C) 24.25 m/s (D) 42.42 m/s
36) The flow of a fluid, whether streamline or turbulent, is differentiated on the basis of
(A) density of the fluid (B) cross sectional area of flow
(C) pressure of the fluid (D) velocity of the flow
37) An aero plane takes off when the dynamic lift becomes _______the weight of aero plane.
(A) less than (B) greater than (C) equal to (D) less than equal to
38) The dimensions of pressure is
(A) L¹M¯¹T² (B) L¯¹M¯¹T² (C) L¯¹M¹T¯² (D) L¹M¯²T²
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 39) Observe the figure and answer carefully. Which of the following statement is correct regarding the
surface energies of molecules A, B and C?

(A) Surface energy of molecule A > Surface energy of molecule B > Surface energy of molecule C
(B) Surface energy of molecule A < Surface energy of molecule B < Surface energy of molecule C
(C) Surface energy of molecule A > Surface energy of molecule B = Surface energy of molecule C
(D) Surface energy of molecule A < Surface energy of molecule B = Surface energy of molecule C
40) The branch of physics which deals with the properties of fluids at rest is called
(A) kinematics (B) hydrostatics (C) electrostatics (D) thermodynamics
41) Two capillary tubes of radii 0.3 cm and 0.6 cm are dipped in the same liquid. The ratio of heights
through which the liquid will rise in the tubes is
(A) 1:2 (B) 2:1 (C) 1:4 (D) 4:1
42) Observe the image and identify the correct statement.

(A) The pressure of the base of vessel C is more than that at the base of vessel B.
(B) The pressure of the base of vessel B is more than that at the base of vessel A.
(C) The pressure of the base of vessel C is the same as that at the base of vessel B.
(D) The pressure of the base of vessel B is less than that at the base of vessel C.
Q.2 Answer the following very short questions:

1) A 40 kg lady balances on her right stiletto heel. Calculate the pressure on the floor due to the heel if
the diameter of the circular heel is 0.8 cm?
2) The mercury in Torricelli’s barometer was replaced with French wine of density 984 kg mˉ³.
Calculate the height of the wine column for normal atmospheric pressure.
3) Define normal atmospheric pressure.
4) What is plasma?
5) What is guage pressure?
6) What is viscosity?
7) Define surface tension.
8) Explain the mechanism shown in the image.

9) Why is use of mercury not advised in laboratory?

10) Why are molecular forces known as short range forces?
11) State the Pascal’s law.
12) Observe the diagram and state the principle on which it is based?
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 13) To form a soap film between the wires, a U bent wire is dipped in a soap solution and removed. This
film and a light slider can support a weight up to 2.5× 10ˉ² N (including the slider’s weight). If the
slider is 30 cm long, find the surface tension of the film.
14) A vertical offshore structure can take a maximum stress of 10¹ ⁰ Pa. Can this structure survive on top
of an oil rig in a sea of depth 5 km?
15) Why is the surface tension of paints and lubricating oils kept low?
16) Find the terminal speed of an uncharged drop of radius 1.0 × 10ˉ⁵ m and density 1.2 × 10³ kg mˉ³ in
Millikan’s oil drop experiment? (Take viscosity of air = 1.8 × 10ˉ⁵ Pas and do not consider the
buoyancy on the drop because of air).
Q.3 Answer the following:
1) State the properties of an ideal fluid?
2) How much amount of work is done in forming a soap bubble of radius r?
3) What are the differences between a solid and a fluid in terms of shear and normal stress?
4) Why does the speed of a liquid increase and its pressure decrease when a liquid passes through
constriction in a horizontal pipe?
5) State the effect of temperature on coefficient of viscosity.
6) Why does velocity increase when water flowing in broader pipe enters a narrow pipe?
7) Consider a tank filled with water as shown in figure below. Assume an imaginary cylinder of
horizontal base area A and height x₁- x₂ = h. x₁ and x₂ being the heights measured from a reference
point, height increasing upwards: x₁ > x₂. Identify the vertical forces acting on the cylinder.

8) Why is a low density liquid used as a manometric liquid in a physics laboratory?

9) Explain the working of a hydraulic lift.
10) What is the basis of the Bernoulli’s principle?
11) Why is molten lava considered as a fluid?
12) What is an incompressible fluid?
13) Fluids exert force on the surface and walls of the container in which they are stored. What is the
known as pressure of a fluid? Explain with the help of relevant diagram.
14) Why two or more mercury drops form a single drop when brought in contact with each other?
15) Explain the angle of contact in details with the help of appropriate diagrams.
16) Obtain an expression for conservation of mass starting from the equation of continuity.
17) Write a short note on coefficient of visco city and derive its mathematical expression.
18) What is critical velocity? How one can decide whether the motion of liquid is streamlined or
turbulent with the help of Reynold’s number?
19) Define the following terms:
a. Flow line
b. Flow tube
c. Streamline
Represent flow line and flow tube with the help of a diagram.
20) What are the conditions for concavity and convexity of the meniscus of the solid-liquid interface?
21) Can a solid liquid interface have zero angle of contact? If yes, explain the same in detail.
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 22) Why are liquids and gases collectively known as fluids?
23) Write a short note on units and dimension of pressure.
24) Explain the cause of atmospheric pressure. Also mention its variation with height form the surface of
the earth.
25) Write a short note on intermolecular forces and their types.
26) What is surface energy? How does it arise?
27) What are the factors affecting the angle of contact between a solid-liquid interface?
28) Why do a number of droplets coalesce to form a bigger drop?
29) What is surface tension? Also mention its SI unit and dimensions.
30) State the differences between streamline and turbulent flow.
31) What is Stroke’s law?
32) What is Bernoulli’s principle?
33) Explain the working of an atomizer.
Q.4 Solve the following:
1) Calculate the viscous force acting on a rain drop of diameter 1 mm, falling with a uniform velocity 2
m/s through air. The coefficient of viscosity of air is 1.8 × 10ˉ⁵ Ns/m².
2) In a hydraulic lift, the input piston had surface area 30 cm² and the output piston has surface area of
1500 cm². If a force of 25 N is applied to the input piston, calculate weight on output piston.
3) As shown in the given figure, a piston of cross sectional area 2 cm² pushes the liquid out of a tube
whose area at the outlet is 40 mm². The piston is pushed at a rate of 2 cm/s. Determine the speed at
which the fluid leaves the tube.

4) Doors of a dam are 20 m below the surface of water in the dam. If one door is opened, what will be
the speed of the water that flows out of the door? (g = 9.8 m/s²)
5) A steel ball with radius 0.3 mm is falling with velocity of 2 m/s at a time t, through a tube filled with
glycerin, having coefficient of viscosity 0.833 Ns/m². Determine viscous force acting on the steel ball
at that time.
6) Calculate the rise of water inside a clean glass capillary tube of radius 0.1 mm, when immersed in
water of surface tension 7 ×10ˉ² N/m. The angle of contact between water and glass is zero, density
of water = 1000 kg/m³, g = 9.8 m/s².
7) The pressure of water inside the closed pipe is 3 × 10⁵ N/m². This pressure reduces to 2 × 10⁵ N/m²
on opening the valve of the pipe. Calculate the speed of water flowing through the pipe. (Density of
water = 1000 kg/m³).
8) With what velocity does water flow out of an orifice in a tank with gauge pressure 4 × 10⁵ N/m²
before the flow starts? Density of water = 1000 kg/m³.
9) An air bubble of radius 0.2 mm is situated just below the water surface. Calculate the gauge
pressure. Surface tension of water = 7.2 × 10ˉ² N/m.
10) How much work is required to form a bubble of 2 cm radius from the soap solution having surface
tension 0.07 N/m.
11) A horizontal force of 1 N is required to move a metal plate of area 10ˉ² m² with a velocity of 2 × 10ˉ²
m/s, when it rests on a layer of oil 1.5 × 10ˉ³ m thick. Find the coefficient of viscosity of oil.
12) Water flows through a tube as shown in the given figure. Find the difference in mercury level, if the
speed of flow of water at point A is 2 m/s and at point B is 5 m/s. (g = 9.8 m/s)

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 13) A swimmer is swimming in a swimming pool at 6 m below the surface of the water. Calculate the
pressure on the swimmer due to water above. (Density of water = 1000 kg/m³, g = 9.8 m/s²)
14) Two different liquids of density ρ₁ and ρ₂ exert the same pressure at a certain point. What will be
the ratio of the heights of the respective liquid columns?
15) A beaker of radius 10 cm is filled with water. Calculate the force of surface tension on any
diametrical line on its surface. Surface tension of water is 0.075 N/m.
16) What should be the diameter of a water drop so that the excess pressure inside it is 80 N/m²?
(Surface tension of water = 7.27 × 10ˉ² N/m)
17) A rectangular wire frame of size 2 cm × 2 cm, is dipped in a soap solution and taken out. A soap film
is formed, if the size of the film is changed to 3 cm × 3 cm, calculate the work done in the process.
The surface tension of soap film is 3 × 10ˉ² N/m.
Q.5 Answer the following:
1) Explain the capillary fall action in detail?
2) Explain the capillary action.
3) “Some liquids do not wet the surface”. Explain the reason for the observation.
4) Derive an expression of excess pressure inside a liquid drop.
5) Explain the working of hydraulic brakes.
6) Derive an expression for capillary rise for a liquid having a concave meniscus.
7) Show that the pressure due to a liquid column does not depend on the area of the column.
8) Derive an expression for capillary rise or fall using the method of forces.
9) What is hydrostatic paradox?
10) Water-glass interface forms a concave meniscus. Explain the reason for the observation.
11) Explain the working of a ventury tube.
Q.6 Solve the following:
1) With what terminal velocity will an air bubble 0.4 mm in diameter rise in a liquid of viscosity 0.1
Ns/m² and specific gravity 0.9? Density of air is 1.29 kg/m³.
2) Find the pressure 200 m below the surface of the ocean if pressure on the free surface of liquid is one
atmosphere.
(Density of sea water = 1060 kg/m³)
3) A hydraulic brake system of a car of mass 1000 kg having speed of 50 km/h, has a cylindrical piston
of radius of 0.5 cm. The slave cylinder has a radius of 2.5 cm. If a constant force of 100 N is applied
on the brake what distance the car will travel before coming to stop?
4) Calculate the work done in blowing a soap bubble to a radius of 1 cm. The surface tension of soap
solution is 2.5 × 10ˉ² N/m.
5) A capillary tube of radius 5 × 10ˉ⁴ m is immersed in a beaker filled with mercury. The mercury level
inside the tube is found to be 8 × 10ˉ³ m below the level of reservoir. Determine the angle of contact
between mercury and glass. Surface tension of mercury is 0.465 N/m and its density is 13.6 × 10³
kg/m³. (g = 9.8 m/s²)
6) The given figure shows a streamline flow of a non-viscous liquid having density 1000 kg/m³. The
cross sectional area at point A is 2 cm² and at point B is 1 cm². The speed of liquid at the point A is 5
cm/s. Both points A and B are at the same horizontal level. Calculate the difference in pressure at A
and B.

7) The speed of water is 2m/s through a pipe of internal diameter 10 cm. What should be the internal
diameter of nozzle of the pipe if the speed of water at nozzle is 4 m/s?
8) A spherical drop of oil falls at a constant speed of 4 cm/s in steady air. Calculate the radius of the
drop. The density of the oil is 0.9 g/cm³, density of air is 1.0 g/cm³ and the coefficient of viscosity of
air is 1.8 × 10ˉ⁴ poise, (g = 980 cm/s²)
9) Twenty seven droplets of water, each of radius 0.1 mm coalesce into a single drop. Find the change
in surface energy. Surface tension of water is 0.072 N/m.
10) A drop of mercury of radius 0.2 cm is broken into 8 droplets of the same size. Find the work done if
the surface tension of mercury is 435.5 dyne/cm.
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Q.7 Answer the following:
1) How was molecular theory successful in explaining the surface tension observed in liquids?
2) Surface tension is also equal to the surface energy per unit area. Mathematically prove this.
3) Explain why liquid drops take different shapes on solid surfaces.
4) According to the continuity equation. “The volume rate of flow of an incompressible fluid for a
steady flow is the same throughout the flow.” Mathematically prove the above statement.
5) Explain in details how an open tube manometer measures the pressure?
6) Derive an expression for terminal velocity of a sphere moving through a viscous medium.
-------- All the Best --------

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