FLUIDS

MECHANICS
Lesson 1: SPECIFIC
GRAVITY, DENSITY, MASS,
AND VOLUME
An object's density is the ratio
of mass to volume of an
object.
The mass is how much it resists
acceleration when a force is
applied to it and generally
means how much of an object
or substance there is.
Volume describes how much
space an object takes up.
Density= mass÷volume

For example if the water at 40C

has a mass of 1000kg in a one
cubic meter, what is the water
density?
Solve: D= 1000kg /
1 m3
Therefore:
D=1000kg/m3
Specific gravity is the density
of a substance divided by
the density of water. Since (at
standard temperature and
pressure) water has a density
of 1000Kg/m3 or 1 gram/cm3,
and since all of the units
cancel, specific gravity is
usually very close to the same
value as density (but without
any units).
Specific gravity = density of an
object ÷density of water
Example:
The density of Gold is 19300kg/m3 .
Solve for the specific gravity of
Gold.
Solution: Specific gravity of
Gold= density of Gold ÷ density
of water
Specific gravity of Gold=
19300kg/m3 ÷ 1000kg/m3
Specific gravity of Gold= 19.3 kg/m3
LESSON 2: PRESSURE

Pressure is defined as force per

unit area.
pressure = force normal to the
surface ÷ area of that surface,
P = F ÷A, F = P x A, A=F÷
P
Unit of Pressure: N/m2 or Pascal
Example:
If a weight of fluid of 200 N acts
on a surface of 5 m2, calculate
the pressure created.
pressure = force ÷ area,
P = F ÷ A = 200 N÷ 5 m2 = 40 Pa
PRESSURE IN A LIQUID - DENSITY
AND DEPTH FACTORS -
CALCULATIONS
The pressure in a fluid varies AND
increases with depth - it doesn't
matter whether you are dealing
with gases like the atmosphere or
liquids like the water of a lake or
ocean.
The greater the height/depth of
fluid, the greater the weight of
particles that gravity is pulling
down, hence the increase in force
per unit area at a particular level,
hence the increase in pressure.
The pressure in a fluid acts in all
directions (← → ↑ ↓) because the
particles are moving and colliding with
each other, and the sides of the
container, at random in all directions.
Liquid pressure significantly increases
with depth as the weight of the column
of liquid increases.
pressure in a liquid = depth of
liquid x density of liquid x
gravitational field strength
P = hρg
P, pressure in pascals
(Pa); h = depth in metres
(m); ρ = density (kg/m3),
and the gravitational field
strength = g = 9.8 N/kg (on
the Earth's surface
Example:
Divers have to be careful when
working at depth in water and need
to carefully control the dissolving of
gases in their blood stream.
(a) Calculate the pressure created by a
30 m depth of water given the
density of water is 1000 kg/m3 and
gravity 9.8 N/kg.
P = hρg
P = 30 m x 1000 kg/m3x 9.8 N/kg
= 294 000 Pa (2.94 x 105 Pa, 294 kPa)
LESSON 3: PASCAL’S PRINCIPLE
A fluid can be a liquid or a gas, like air and air
is everywhere, and even the air surrounding
us has a weight and exerts a pressure.
Pressure is defined as a measure of force over
a given area. Pascal's law states that a
pressure applied to a fluid in a closed
container is transmitted equally to every
point of the fluid and the walls of the
container, as seen in Equation
P = F÷ A
Where P is the pressure, F is the force,
and A is the area.
Note that a closed system may have two
areas, so the force is different at the two
locations, but the pressure remains the
same, as stated by Pascal's law.
This pressure is transmitted equally in
all directions and at right angles, and a
change in pressure disperses equally
throughout the fluid. Pascal's law is used
by engineers when designing hydraulic
systems that use liquid power to do
work. Some examples are hydraulic
jacks that lift cars up in repair shops and
hydraulic brakes that apply a pressure
to a large area to stop a large vehicle
such as a train. Pascal's law is also used
in water distribution systems and
sewage systems to move water
Example:
If the area of A1 = 0.001
m2 and the area of A2 = 0.1
m2 , external input force
F1 = 100 N, then the external
output force F2 ?
The area of A1 = 0.001 m2
The area of A2 = 0.1 m2
External input force F1 = 100 Newton
Unknown: External output force (F2)

Solution :
P1 = P2
F1 / A1 = F2 / A2
100 N / 0.001 m2 = F2 / 0.1 m2
100 N / 0.001 = F2 / 0.1
100,000 N = F2 / 0.1
F2 = (0.1)(100,000 N)
F2 = 10,000 N
LESSON 4: ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE

Archimedes' principle, named af

ter an inventor and a
mathematician who lived in
ancient Greece, states that the
buoyant force on a submerged
object is equal to the weight of
the fluid that is displaced by
the object. Buoyancy is the
ability of an object to float in
water or air.
The Archimedes principle
states that the upward
buoyancy force exerted on a
body partially or completely
immersed in a fluid is equal to
the weight of the fluid that
the body displaces and acts in
an upward direction in the
center of the mass of the
displaced fluid.
 push = density of fluid * gravity
acceleration * volume of object.
The equation is:
p=ρf*g*V
we have,
p = push
ρf = density of fluid.
g = gravity acceleration.
V = volume of object.
Example:
A steel ball of 5cm radius is immersed in
water. It calculates the thrust and the
resulting force (lead density =
7900kg/m3).
Answer: To calculate the resulting push,
to calculate the push we must calculate
the volume of the ball.
V = 4/3πr3= 4/3π (0,05 m)3 = 5.24*10-4 m3
and know the density of water (1000
kg/m3).
p = Pf*g*v= 1000 kg/m3 * 9.8 m/s²
*5,23*10-4 m3 = 5.1254 N.
p = 5.1254 N.
Let's go with the resulting force. Here two
forces act: the push of the water upwards
and the weight of the ball downwards. We
still have to calculate this last one:
the density of lead is 7900kg/m3, then the
mass of lead is
ml = 7900kg/m m* 5.24*10-4 m3 = 4.1396 Kg
The weight of the ball is
w = ml*g = 4.1396 Kg* 9.8m/s2 = 40.568 N
The resulting apparent weight is:
Wa = w-p = 40.568 N - 5.1254 N = 35.443 N
Wa = 35.443 N.
The apparent weight is the weight of the object
immersed in a fluid, or in other words, the
result of the actual weight and thrust.

All of us have experienced Archimedes'

principle, even though we may not be
aware of it. A common experience is
realizing that it is rather easy to lift a
person in a swimming pool. This is
because the water provides partial
support in the form of an upward
force called the buoyant force. The
buoyant force is equal to the weight of
the fluid displaced.
LESSON 4: BERNOULLI’S PRINCIPLE

Bernoulli's principle is an idea

of fluid dynamics. It says that
as speed of the fluid
increases, pressure
decreases. ... A higher
pressure pushes (accelerates)
fluid toward lower pressure.
So any change in a fluid's
speed must be matched by a
change in pressure (force).
 The simplest form of Bernoulli's
equation (steady and incompressible
flow) states that the sum of mechanical
energy, potential energy and kinetic energy,
along a streamline is constant. Therefore,
any increase in one form results in a
decrease in the other. Bernoulli's
principle states that pressure and velocity
are inversely related, or that the pressure in
a fluid decreases when the fluid's velocity
increases, as seen in Equation

P 1 + ½ρ v 1
2
+ ρ g h 1 = P 2 + ½ρ v 2
2
+ ρgh2