P-ISSN: 1693-1246 Jurnal Pendidikan Fisika Indonesia 17 (10) (2019)

E-ISSN: 2355-3812
DOI: xx.xxxxx/jpfi.xxxxx.xxxx
09 2019
http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.ph
p/jpfi

THE INFLUENCE OF MASS AND DISTANCE IN THE

MEASUREMENT OF THE GLYCERIN VISCOSITY COEFFICIENT

PENGARUH MASSA DAN JARAK DALAM

PENGUKURAN KOEFISIEN VISKOSITAS GLISERIN
R. Difa1, W. A. Sefrina2, S. K. Gesang3, P.D.W. Saifulana4
1SMA N 1 Kudus, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
2SMA N 1 Tayu, Pati, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
3SMA N 1 Bawang, Banjarnegara, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
4SMA N 1 Blora, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
Received: 17 October 2019. Accepted: 17 October 2019. Published: October 2019
ABSTRACT
Viscosity is an index of fluid flow resistance, it can be called also the viscosity of a substance Experiments about measuring the
viscosity coefficient of glycerin aims to understand the principle of the viscosity of a falling ball and the friction force of a moving
object in a fluid related to the viscosity of a fluid. Calculation of the coefficient of viscosity in this experiment uses the principle
of Stokes' Law. The experiments were carried out by measuring the ball mass, ball diameter, ball volume, ball density, and
glycerin density. Next, measure the distance and drop the ball into the liquid. After that, the ball is measured until it reaches the
bottom. There are two variations of the experiment namely variations in the diameter of the sphere and variations in the
distance of the tube. From the experiments, it can also be said that the greater the distance is given, the greater the time
needed to get to the bottom of the tube, and conversely the greater the mass and diameter of the ball, the smaller the time
required to arrive at the bottom of the tube.

Key words: Viscosity, Law of Tokes, Fluid, Viscosity of Glycerin

ABSTRAK
Viskositas adalah indeks hambatan aliran cairan, dapat disebut juga sebagai kekentalan suatu zat Eksperimen tentang
pengukuran koefisien viskositas gliserin bertujuan untuk memahami azas visikometer bola jatuh serta gaya gesekan benda
yang bergerak di dalam fluida berkaitan dengan kekentalan fluida. Perhitungan koefisien viskositas dalam eksperimen ini
menggunakan prinsip Hukum Stokes. Eksperimen dilakukan dengan cara mengukur massa bola, diameter bola, volume bola,
massa jenis bola, dan massa jenis gliserin. Selanjutnya mengukur jarak dan menjatuhkan bola ke dalam zat cair. Setelah itu
diukur waktu bola hingga mencapai dasar. Terdapat dua variasi percobaan yaitu variasi diameter bola dan variasi jarak tabung.
Dari percobaan dapat disebut pula bahwa semakin besar jarak yang diberikan maka semakin besar waktu yang dibutuhkan
untuk sampai di dasar tabung, dan sebaliknya semakin besar massa dan diameter bola maka semakin kecil waktu yang
dibutuhkan untuk sampai di dasar tabung.
INTRODUCTION
Phases of Matter
The three common phases, or states, of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. We can
distinguish these three phases as follows. A solid maintains a fixed shape and a fixed size;
even if a large force is applied to a solid, it does not readily change in shape or volume. A
liquid does not maintain a fixed shape-it takes on the shape of its container- but like a solid it
is not readily compressible. And its volume can be changed significantly only by a very large
force. A gas has neither a fixed shape nor a fixed volume- it will expand to fill its container.
For example, when air is pumped into an automobile tire, the air does not all run to the
bottom of the tire as a liquid would: it spreads out to fill the whole volume of the tire. Since
liquids and gases do maintain a fixed shape, they both have the ability to flow: they are thus
often referred to collectively as fluids. The division of matter into three phases is not always
simple. How, for example, should butter be classified? Furthermore, a fourth phase of matter
can be distinguished, the plasma phase, which occurs only at very high temperatures and
consists of ionized atoms (electrons separated from the nuclei). Some sciencetist belive that
so called colloids (suspensions of tiny particles in a liquid) should also be considered a
separate phase of matte. Liquid crystals, which are used in laptop computer screens,
calculators, digital watches, and so on can be considered a phase of matter intermediate
between solids and liquids. However, for our present purpose we will mainly be interested in
the three ordinary phases of matter.
(Giancoli, 2005: 255)

Density
In a gas, the average distance between two molecules is large compared with the
size of a molecule. The molecules have little influence on one another except during their
brief collisions. In a liquid or solid, the molecules are close together and exert forces on one
another that are comparable to the forces that bind atoms into molecules. Molecules in a
liquid form temporary short-range bonds that are continually broken and reformed due to the
proximity of the molecules as they bump into each other. These bonds hold the liquid
together; if the bonds were not present, the liquid would immediately evaporate and the
molecules would escape as a vapor. The strength of the bonds in a liquid depends on the
type of molecule that makes up the liquid. For example, the bonds between helium
molecules are very weak and, for this reason, helium does not liquefy at atmospheric
pressure unless the temperature is 4.2 K or lower. The ratio of the mass of an object to its
volume is called its average density:
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 = (2.1)
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒

If the mass of substance within a small element of volume dv is dm then the density of the
substance at the location of the volume element is:

𝑑𝑚
𝜌= 𝑑𝑣
(2.2)
(Serway, 2014:424)

Viscosity
Viscosity is internal fluid friction. Viscosity is the reason it takes effort to row a boat
through calm water, but it is also the reason why the paddle can work. The viscosity effect is
important in the flow of fluids in pipes, blood flow, lubrication of the inside of the engine, and
examples of other conditions. (Giancoli. 2001).
The term viscosity is generally used to describe fluid flow to indicate the degree of internal
friction in a fluid. Internal friction, or viscous force, is related to the resistance experienced by
two adjacent fluid layers to move relative to one another. Viscosity causes some of the
kinetic energy of the fluid to change into internal energy. (Serway: 2009)
The viscosity of fluid motion is the analogy of friction in the motion of solid objects.
Viscosity introduces tangential forces between fluid layers in relative motion and results in
the dissipation of mechanical power.
Viscosity can also be interpreted as a measure of the viscosity of the fluid which
states the size of the friction in the fluid. The greater the viscosity of the liquid, the more
difficult the fluid to flow and the harder it is for an object to move in the fluid. Viscosity exists
in both liquid and gas, and in essence, is the frictional force between layers that overlap with
the fluid as the layers move one past the other. In liquids, viscosity is produced by
intermolecular cohesion forces. In gases, viscosity arises from collisions between molecules.
In 1845 sir George Stokes showed that a ball of the radius (r) that moves with velocity
(v) in a homogeneous fluid, will experience a fluid friction force (F) of:
 (3.1)
With k is a constant that depends on the geometric shape of the object. For spherical
objects the value k = 6πr, when substituted into equation (3.1) the equation of law stikes is
obtained as follows:

Fs=6 rv (3.2)

Fs = Stokes friction force (N)

η = Coefficient of fluid viscosity r = Ball radius (m)

v = Ball speed (m / s)

Objects that are dropped on liquid without initial velocity will accelerate

with forces acting:

Figure 1

The force acting on a ball in the water:

………….(3.3)

Where W is the object's gravity, FA is the upward force and Fr is the frictional force
of the liquid.

The greater the speed, the greater the friction force, so that one day there will be a
dynamic balance (objects moving without speed):

…………………...………..(3.4)

By entering the force, we get:

(3.5)

The speed of the viscous fluid in a cylindrical pipe shows the flow rate for a viscous
fluid laminar in a long pipe. The greatest speed is along the axis and becomes zero in the
pipe wall. This movement is like several concentric tubes that slide relative to one another,
with the tubes in the center moving most rapidly, while the outer tubes are stationary. By
applying the previous equation to a cylindrical fluid element, we can get an equation that
illustrates the rate profile. The flow rate v at distance r from the axis of the pipe with radius
R is: (Resnick, Halliday, 1987)

(3.6)
The equation above is called Stokes' law and in its application requires several conditions
as follows:

1. Space where the fluid is unlimited (the size is much bigger than the size of the ball)

2. There is no turbulence in the fluid

3. V speed is not great

If a ball moves inside a fluid, then in addition to the friction force of the liquid with
the ball, there are other forces at work (Serway, Raymond A. and Jewett, John W., 2009)

METHODS
In this experiment, several tools and materials such as two 1-meter long glass tube are
equipped with a rubber liner, 3 small balls of ebonite of different sizes, ruler and micrometer screw, a
stemmed sieve for picking up the ball, a stopwatch, an arometer beaume, balance sheet, liquid
substances: glycerin. There are two kinds of variations in experiments, namely variations in the
diameter of the ball and variations in the distance traveled.
A. Ball Diameter Variations
Variation of spherical diameter in
determining the coefficient of viscosity of a liquid is to use three ebonite spheres of various
sizes as manipulation variables. The distance of the ball in the fluid is fixed. The step that
must be done is to measure the diameter of the ball using calipers, after obtaining the
diameter of the ball and then measure the mass of the ball with an analytical balance.
Measure the density of the ball by dividing the ball's mass by the volume of the ball, then
measure the density of glycerin. After that drop the ball into the liquid and observe if the ball
has passed the mark then quickly press the stopwatch button. Press the stopwatch button to
end the time measurement when the object has reached the bottom of the tube. Then the
time 3 obtained is recorded and repeats this experiment three times using three different
masses.
B. Variations in Mileage
The variation of mileage in determining the coefficient of viscosity of a liquid is by
changing the distance to be traveled by the ball when it falls in the fluid. The determination of
the intended limit is by giving the upper and lower limits of the tube using a rubber band and
then change it according to the desired distance. The diameter and mass of the sphere used
in this experiment are fixed. Steps that must be taken are to determine the upper and lower
limits of the tube, measure the density of glycerin, after that drop the ball into the liquid and
observe if the ball has passed the mark by quickly pressing the stopwatch button. Press the
stopwatch button to end the time measurement when the object has reached the lower limit
of the tube. Then the time obtained is recorded and repeats this experiment three times
using three different distances.
 Results and Discussion
Table of Observation
Diameter Distance Density Density of Time (s)
(m) (m) of balls/ρ(kg/m3)
fluid/ρ t1 t2 t3 𝒕̅
(kg/m3)
2.40x10-2 2750 1.19 1.04 1.15 1.13
1.55x10-2 8.88x10-2 1250 2520 1.58 1.54 1.66 1.59
1.01x10-2 3250 2.54 2.33 2.51 2.46

8.43x10-2 1.21 1.38 1.20 1.26

-2
1.55x10 7.94x10-2 1250 2520 0.95 1.05 1.11 1.04
8.88x10-2 1.58 1.54 1.66 1.59

In this experiment, we use long glass tube with a rubber band, three small balls of
different sizes, micrometer screw, thermometer, a stemmed sceve for picking up the ball,
stopwatch, balance sheet, beaume Areometer, and the last is liquid substances: glycerin and
lubricants SAE 20.
Firstly, we may to know the temperature of fluid and the room. By using thermometer,
we can know the temperature of the fluid is 31°C while the room is 27°C. then, we determine
the diameter of balls by micrometer screw. The diameter of first ball is 2.40x10 -2m, the
second ball is 1.55x10-2m, and the third ball is 1.01x10-2m. We also balance the mass of
balls, the first ball mass is 2.041x10-2kg, the second ball mass is 4.93x10-3kg, and the third
ball mass is 1.76x10-3kg. By knowing the mass and the volume of balls, we can calculate the
density of each balls. After calculating, we get the density of first ball is 2750kg/m 3, the
density of second ball is 2520kg/m3, and the density of third ball is 3250kg/m3. We not only
determine the density of balls, but also the fluid does too. And we get the mass of fluid is
3.117x10-2kg while the volume is 0.025L. So that we can calculate that the density of fluid
is1250kg/m3.
At the first experiment, we have three balls for variation. The long of track we take
choose is 8.88x10-2m. We dip the first ball and start to turn on the stopwatch when the ball is
being on the first rubber band and we stop the stopwatch if the ball has travel for 8.88x10-
2
mthen we write the time needed by the ball to travel its track. We take the data of the same
size ball for three times so that got average time. The average time of the first ball is 1.13s,
then we continue dipping the second ball. The procedure is like to the first ball. And we get
the average time of second ball is 1.59s. the last, we dip the third ball and we get the
average time is 2.46s.
At the second experiment, we use the second ball which its mass is density is 2520
kg/m3 and still using the same fluid at first experiment. The procedure is the same with the
first experiment, but here we use three different distance of track while same the ball. The
first distance we observe is 8.43x10-2m. We dip the ball and observe the time needed to
travel 8.43x10-2m then we repeat it in the same distance of track to get the average time.
After observing, we can calculate that the average time of first distance is 1.26 s. The
second distance, we choose for 7.94x10-2m. The procedure is same to the first distance and
we get the average time is 1.04 s. And the last distance of track is 8.88x10-2 and we get the
average time is 1.59s.
In both of experiment we have done, there is a little mistake of taking data. This is
caused of the distance of track we observe is too short, so it is difficult to have the true time
that is needed by the balls to travel its track. This may causes the reative error is big
enough.

𝟐 𝒈𝒓𝟐 (𝝆𝒃 − 𝝆𝒇 )
𝜼= 𝒙𝒕
𝟗𝒔

1. Variation of Diameter

𝟐 𝒈𝒓𝟐 (𝝆𝒃 − 𝝆𝒇 )
𝜼= 𝒙𝒕
𝟗𝒔

2𝑥9.8𝑥(0.012)2 (2750 − 1250)

𝜂1 = 𝑥1.13 = 5.98
9𝑥8.88𝑥10−2

2𝑥9.8𝑥(0.00775)2 (2520 − 1250)

𝜂2 = 𝑥1.59 = 2.97
9𝑥8.88𝑥10−2

2𝑥9.8𝑥(0.00505)2 𝑥(3250 − 1250)

𝜂3 = 𝑥2.46 = 3.08
9𝑥8.88𝑥10−2

𝜂1 + 𝜂2 + 𝜂3 5.98 + 2.97 + 3.08

𝜂̅ = = = 4.01
3 3

No. 𝜂𝑛 𝜂̅ |𝜂𝑛 − 𝜂̅ | |𝜂𝑛 − 𝜂̅ |2

1. 5.98 4.01 1.97 3.88
2. 2.97 4.01 1.04 1.08
3 3.08 4.01 0.93 0.86
𝛴 = 5.82

𝛴||𝜂𝑛 − 𝜂̅ |2 | 5.82
∆𝜂 = √ = √ = 1.7𝑁𝑚/𝑠
(𝑛 − 1) 2
𝜂 = (𝜂̅ ± ∆𝜂) = (4.01 ± 1.7)𝑁𝑠/𝑚2
∆𝜂 1.7
𝐾𝑅 = 𝑥100% = 𝑥100% = 42.4%
𝜂̅ 4.01
Accuracy= 100% - 42.4% = 57.6%
CONCLUSION
2. Variation of Distance

𝟐 𝒈𝒓𝟐 (𝝆𝒃 − 𝝆𝒇)

𝜼= 𝒙𝒕
𝟗𝒔

2𝑥9.8𝑥(0.775𝑥10−2 )2 (2520 − 1250)

𝜂1 = 𝑥1.26 = 2.50 𝑁𝑚/𝑠
9𝑥8.43𝑥10−2

2𝑥9.8𝑥(0.775𝑥10−2 )2 (2520 − 1250)

𝜂2 = 𝑥1.04 = 2.18 𝑁𝑚/𝑠
9𝑥7.94𝑥10−2

2𝑥9.8𝑥(0.775𝑥10−2 )2 (2520 − 1250)

𝜂3 = 𝑥1.59 = 2.97 𝑁𝑚/𝑠
9𝑥8.88𝑥10−2

𝜂1 + 𝜂2 + 𝜂3 2.50 + 2.18 + 1.59

𝜂̅ = = = 2.21
3 3

No. 𝜂𝑛 𝜂̅ |𝜂𝑛 − 𝜂̅ | |𝜂𝑛 − 𝜂̅ |2

1. 2.50 2.21 0.28 0.0784
2. 2.18 2.21 0.04 0.0016
3 2.97 2.21 0.75 0.5625
𝛴 = 0.6425

𝛴||𝜂𝑛 − 𝜂̅ |2 | 0.6425
∆𝜂 = √ = √ = 0.56
(𝑛 − 1) 2
̅ ± ∆𝜂) = (2.22 ± 0.56)𝑁𝑠/𝑚2
𝜂 = (𝜂
∆𝜂 0.56
𝐾𝑅 = 𝑥100% = 𝑥100% = 25.2%
𝜂̅ 2.22
Accuracy= 100% - 25.2% = 74.8%

CONCLUSION
Based on the data analysis and discussion above, it can be concluded that. The greater the
mass of the ball, the less time travel that it takes, The bigger the distance, the more time that it takes.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to Prof. Hartono M.Pd and Dr. Ellianawati, S.Pd, M.Sc as basic physics lecturers
who have provided knowledge Thanks to Dwi Ragil P and Winda Naili S as basic physics laboratory
assistants who have provided guidance. And all my friends.

REFERENCE
Jewett, Serway. 2009. Physics for Science and Engineering Book I Edition 6.
Jewett, Serway. 2009. Physics for Science and Engineering Book I Edition 7.
Resnick, Halliday. 1987. Physics 1 Edition 3 Jakarta : Erlangga.
Giancoli. 2001. Physics 1 , Jakarta: Airlangga