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Physics for IT Laboratory

2ND
CET 0225.1
SEMESTER AY 2020 - 2021

Experiment 5 Subject
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OBJECTIVES:

This experiment is divided into 5 parts. The objective(s) of each part, in order, are as follows:

1. (Part I) To examine the factors affecting the hydrostatic pressure and to determine the
magnitude of this pressure on a fully submerged surface.
2. (Part II) To understand the basic principle of a U-tube manometer and examine how fluids will
reconfigure themselves in the manometer at equilibrium.
3. (Part III) To apply Pascal’s principle in balancing different masses in a closed, fluid-filled system,
having different radii.
4. (Part IVA) To apply Archimedes’ principle for objects experiencing gravity and buoyant forces.
5. (Part IVB) To apply Archimedes’ principle and obtain a relationship between a submerged mass
and the volume displaced by this mass.
6. (Part V) To understand the Bernoulli equation for flowing fluid.

PRINCIPLE:

I. Hydrostatic Pressure

A fluid exerts a force perpendicular to any surface in contact with it, such as a container wall or an
object immersed in the fluid. This pressure is exerted in all directions and is defined as: where
the component of the force perpendicular to the area is used. The SI unit for pressure is 1 Pascal (1
Pa) = 1 N/m2. The pressure exerted by the atmosphere at sea level is p0 = 101,325 Pa or 1
atmosphere (1 atm).

Density is defined as . The density of ordinary water is 1 g/ml = or 1 g/cm3. For seawater at
20°C, a typical value of 1.03 g/ml is used.
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The hydrostatic pressure although equal on all sides

increases with depth as seen in the Fig. 5.1. An
imaginary cylinder is filled with the same fluid as in
the surroundings. Since this cylinder is not moving
(equilibrium), we have from the FBD:

∑ :

or the fundamental equation of Fig.5.1

hydrostatics)

Thus, hydrostatic pressure depends only on the depth. Applying this equation to a fluid with a free
surface exposed to the atmosphere:
(equation 5.1)

where the pressure p is the absolute pressure at depth h is greater than the atmospheric pressure p0
at the surface by an amount ρgh and ρ is the density of the surrounding fluid and g = 9.81 m/s2.

In part I, this equation is graphed, with depth h is plotted against p.

II. U-Tube Manometer

An application of this equation is the U-tube manometer. This device consists of

a glass tube bent into the shape of a "U" and is used to measure r1
some unknown pressure. There are many variations in the design r2
and use of a manometer. In part II the manometer used is shown
in Fig 5.2. It consists of 2 immiscible fluids with different densities
with both openings exposed to the atmosphere allowing ρ1
atmospheric pressure to push down on each side equally so that ρ2
its effects cancel.
The left side of the manometer is filled with fluid of density ρ1 h1
at a height h1 and radius r1 while the right side has fluid of h2
density ρ2 at a height h2 and radius r2. At equilibrium, the pressure
on both sides of the surface separating the fluids is equal:

so (equation 5.2) P1 = P2 Fig.5.2

In part II, this equation is verified using different values of h1, r1, h2 and r2 using the same two
fluids.
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III. Pascal’s Principle

Another application of equation 5.1 is the principle behind hydraulic lifts which is an enclosed fluid
system used to exert forces. A simple hydraulic system is shown in Fig. 5.3 with two fluid-filled
cylinders, capped with pistons and connected by a tube
called a hydraulic line.

Pascal’s principle states that if a downward force F1 is

applied on the left piston, a pressure is transmitted P2
P1
undiminished to all parts of the enclosed fluid and to
the walls of its container. This results in an upward
force F2 on the right piston that is larger than F1 because Fig.5.3
the right piston has a larger area.

To derive the relationship between F1 and F2 we assume the bottom surface of the pistons must be at
the same height so there will be no difference in pressure due to a difference in depth. Applying
Pascal’s principle:

If the forces are masses of mass m and the areas are circles of radius r,

( ) (equation 5.3)

To make the force larger, the pressure is applied to a larger area. For example, if a 100-N force is
applied to the left cylinder in Figure 1 and the right one has an area five times greater, then the force
out is 500 N. In part III, this equation is verified using different values of m1, r1, m2 and r2.

IV. Archimedes’ Principle of Buoyancy

According to Archimedes’ principle, when a body is immersed in a liquid it

loses some of its weight due to an upward buoyant force acting on the Fig. 5.4
body. The buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by
the object. The principle applies to an object either entirely or partially
submerged in the fluid. The magnitude of the buoyant force depends only
on the weight of the displaced fluid, and not on the object’s weight.

If an object is held at rest by a string (in air), its weight is given by

where m is the mass of the object. If a solid is submerged in a
fluid, it will be acted upon by three forces: the weight of the body, W or
the true weight; the tension in the string, T = Wapp which is also the
apparent weight; and the buoyant force, B, on the body, which can be
expressed using Archimedes Principle:
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where F and VF is the density and displaced volume of the fluid.

Since the body is in equilibrium,

(equation 5.4)

So, the buoyant force is the difference of the true

weight of the body in air and the apparent weight.

In part IV A of this experiment, we will let an object of

fixed volume V0 float in the fluid without any string
attached as seen in Fig. 5.5. The density of the object ρ0
and the fluid ρF can be adjusted. In that case:
Fig. 5.5
we have

(equation 5.5)

where VF = volume of the displaced fluid. Thus, Archimedes’ principle can also be stated as: The
fraction of a floating object that is submerged is equal to the ratio of the density of the object to the
density of the fluid.
In part IV B of this experiment, a container (of mass m0) is submerged in a tank and masscandy (in the
form of candy) is successively added to the container resulting in bigger amounts of fluid displaced. A
plot of masscandy (x-axis) versus volume displaced (y-axis) results to a linear relationship.
From

( ) (equation 5.6).
where: V is the volume displaced; V0 is the volume displaced by the empty container; ∆V/∆m is the
increase in volume displaced for 1 g of candy added and its reciprocal is the density of the fluid or the
grams of candy needed to increase volume displaced by 1 ml.

Equation 5.6 is plotted, and the experimental values are obtained.

V. Bernoulli Equation

For flowing fluids, two principles apply:

The continuity equation describes that in any steady state process, the rate at which mass leaves
the system is equal to the rate at which mass enters a system. Consider the steady flow of fluid
through a duct shown in Fig. 5.6 (that is, the inlet and outlet flows do not vary with time). Now we
apply the principle of mass conservation. Since there is no flow through the side walls of the duct,
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what mass comes in over area A1 goes out of area A2. Over a short time interval ∆t,

Fig 5.6

where V1 and V2 are the inlet and velocities

respectively. If the density does not change, we have: A1V1 = A2V2 (equation 5.7). The quan

The term AV is also called the volumetric flow rate and has SI units of m3/s while the ρAV is called the
mass flow rate and has SI units of kg/s.

The relationship between pressure and velocity in fluids is described quantitatively by Bernoulli’s
equation which states that for an incompressible, frictionless fluid, the following sum is constant:

Fig. 5.7
where P is the absolute pressure, ρ is the fluid
density, v is the velocity of the fluid, h is the
height above some reference point, and g is the
acceleration due to gravity. If we follow a small
volume of fluid along its path as seen in Fig. 5.7,
various quantities in the sum may change, but
the total remains constant. Let the subscripts 1
and 2 refer to any two points along the path
that the bit of fluid follows; Bernoulli’s equation
becomes

(equation 5.8)

Bernoulli’s equation is a form of the conservation of energy principle. Note that the second and
third terms are the kinetic and potential energy with m replaced by ρ. In fact, each term in the
equation has units of energy per unit volume. We can prove this for the second term by

substituting ρ = m/V into it and gathering terms:

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Making the same substitution into the third term in the equation, we find

Note that pressure P has units of energy per unit volume, too. Since P = F/A, its units are N/m2. If we
multiply these by m/m, we obtain N ⋅ m/m3 = J/m3, or energy per unit volume. Bernoulli’s equation is, in
fact, just a convenient statement of conservation of energy for an incompressible fluid in the absence of
friction.

In Part V, a simulation of an incompressible fluid with density ρ = 1000 kg/m3 (water) flowing through a
pipe is shown. The height, pressure, velocity, and radius of the pipe for the inlet side is adjusted. On the
outlet, only the height and radius can only be adjusted. The velocity and the pressure on the outlet can
be calculated using the Bernoulli equation. After they have been calculated, they answers can be checked
by marking the checkbox in the top right corner of the simulation. The theoretical and experimental
values are compared.

Other parameters like the volumetric flow rate and the mass flow rate are also calculated.

PROCEDURE:

I. Hydrostatic Pressure

1. Open the Deep Sea Diver lab:

http://thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/DeepSeaDiverLab/
2. Use the default value of g = 9.81 m/s2 on the upper left corner.
3. Guide the nose of the deep sea diver
(where the pressure sensor is) to the
depths specified in the table. Record the
pressure as shown when the Data button is
clicked.

note: the Data button appears only when the

vehicle is totally motionless.

4. Try to navigate the deep sea diver

horizontally at the same depth. Stop the
motion and note the pressure. Is the
pressure the same along any constant
horizontal line?
5. Compute the pressure using equation 5.1. Use ρ = 1.03 g/ml (for seawater), g = 9.81 m/s2 and
p0 = 101,325 Pa (atmospheric pressure at the surface)
6. Compute the % error between the actual data and that predicted by the equation.

depth pressure from Data temperature pressure using eqn 5.1 % error
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(in kPa) (°C) (in kPa)

5m
15m
25m
35m
45m

7. Plot the depth (along the x-axis) vs the pressure (the y-axis). Using linear regression, obtain the
graph of the best fit line and the correlation coefficient. From the slope obtain the experimental
value of the density of seawater (since slope = ρg).

p p0

Slope = ρg

Depth h

II. U-tube manometer

1. Open the U-tube lab: http://thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/YouTubeLab/

2. Set tube radius of tube 1 (left tube) to 30 mm and radius of tube 2 (right tube) to 30 mm. In
this part, the radii of both tubes are the same.
3. Adjust height of Fluid 1 (Maple Syrup) to 200
mm and height of Fluid 2 (Fresh Water) to
300 mm. In this part, the initial height of the
Fresh Water tube (h2) is constant at 300 mm.
Be sure that the pin is pushed in the down
position (non-equilibrium position).
4. Pull pin up and allow fluids to reach its
equilibrium position.
5. Record the heights of the fluids after
equilibrium is reached.
6. Increase the initial height of h1 by 50 mm
keeping h2 constant.
7. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6.
8. Continue the trials until h1 reaches 400 mm.
9. Fill up the table below.
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r1 = r2 = 30 mm (r = constant) h2= 300 mm (h2 = constant)

Fluid 1 (Maple Syrup) Fluid 2 (Fresh Water) h2/h1
r1 h1 (initial) h1 (final) r2 h2 (initial) h2 (final)
30 mm 200 mm 30 mm 300 mm
30 mm 250 mm 30 mm 300 mm
30 mm 300 mm 30 mm 300 mm
30 mm 350 mm 30 mm 300 mm
30 mm 400 mm 30 mm 300 mm
average value of h2/h1 = _________

10. Set tube radius of tube 1 (left tube) to 30 mm and radius of tube 2 (right tube) to 30 mm. In
this part, the radii of both tubes are the same.
11. Adjust height of Fluid 1 (Maple Syrup) to 300 mm and height of Fluid 2 (Fresh Water) to 200
mm. In this part, the initial height of the Maple Syrup tube (h 1) is constant at 300 mm. Be sure
that the pin is pushed in the down position (non-equilibrium position).
12. Pull pin up and allow fluids to reach its equilibrium position.
13. Record the heights of the fluids after equilibrium is reached.
14. Increase the initial height of h2 by 50 mm keeping h1 constant.
15. Repeat steps 12, 13 and 14.
16. Continue the trials until h2 reaches 400 mm.
17. Fill up the table below.

r1 = r2 = 30 mm (r = constant) h1= 300 mm (h1 = constant)

Fluid 1 (Maple Syrup) Fluid 2 (Fresh Water) h2/h1
r1 h1 (initial) h1 (final) r2 h2 (initial) h2 (final)
30 mm 300 mm 30 mm 200 mm
30 mm 300 mm 30 mm 250 mm
30 mm 300 mm 30 mm 300 mm
30 mm 300 mm 30 mm 350 mm
30 mm 300 mm 30 mm 400 mm
average value of h2/h1 = _________

18. Set height of Fluid 1 (Maple Syrup) to 300 mm and height of Fluid 2 (Fresh Water) to 300 mm.
In this part, the initial heights of both tubes are the same
19. Adjust tube radius of tube 1 (left tube) to 25 mm and radius of tube 2 (right tube) to 20 mm.
Be sure that the pin is pushed in the down position (non-equilibrium position).
20. Pull pin up and allow fluids to reach its equilibrium position.
21. Record the heights of the fluids after equilibrium is reached.
22. Use different values of r1 and r2 as seen in the table.
23. Repeat steps 20 and 21.
24. Fill up the table below.
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h1 = h2 = 300 mm (h = constant)
Fluid 1 (Maple Syrup) Fluid 2 (Fresh Water) h2/h1
r1 h1 (initial) h1 (final) r2 h2 (initial) h2 (final)
25 mm 300 mm 20 mm 300 mm
20 mm 300 mm 25 mm 300 mm
15 mm 300 mm 20 mm 300 mm
10 mm 300 mm 15 mm 300 mm
15 mm 300 mm 10 mm 300 mm
5 mm 300 mm 10 mm 300 mm
average value of h2/h1 = _________

III. Pascal’s principle

1. Open Pascal’s Principle Lab:

https://www.thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/PascalsPrincipleLab/
2. Set tube radius of tube 1 (left tube) to 24 mm and radius of tube 2 (right tube) to 50 mm.
Adjust Mass 1 to 50 g and Mass 2 to 200. Be
sure that the pin is pushed in the down
position (non-equilibrium position).
3. Pull pin up and allow fluids to reach its
equilibrium position. The heights of the 2 tubes
should be almost equal.
4. Do steps 2 and 3 for the 2nd row values. Again,
notice that the heights of the fluids after
equilibrium is reached should be almost equal.
5. For the next rows one or more values of the
variables radius r1, mass m1, radius r2, and
mass m2 are not given. Using trial and error determine these values making sure that the
heights of the of the fluids are almost the same at equilibrium.
6. Fill up the table below.

Tube 1 (left) Tube 2 (right) predicted values % error m2/m1 (r2/r1)2

of the unknowns
radius r1 mass m1 radius r2 mass m2
24 mm 25 g 50 mm 500 g
40 mm 50 g 50 mm 80 g
30 mm 50 g 100 mm m2 =
16 mm 50 mm 700 g m1 =
24 mm 65 g 100 g r2 =
200 mm 48 mm 320 g r1 =
30 mm 50 mm m2 = m1 =
50 g 150 g r2 = r1 =
40 mm 250 g r2 = m2 =
30 mm 200 g r1 = m1 =
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IV. Archimedes’ principle

Part A

1. Open Buoyancy simulation lab: https://ophysics.com/fl1.html. Use default values for

Animation Speed and Fluid Viscosity. Click buttons Show Free-Body Diagram and
Show Numbers.
2. Set Object Density ρ0 = 1 g/cm3,
Fluid Density ρF = 1 g/cm3.
3. Click Run. Record values.
4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the values of
ρ0 and ρF given.
5. Prove the values obtained for
Volume above and the Volume
below. The Volume below is the
same as volume displaced.
6. For each case, draw the FBD and
show the relevant equations and
numerical calculations.

all densities (ρ) are in ρ0 = 1 ρ0 = 2 ρ0 = 1.5 ρ0 = 1

g/cm3 ρF = 1 ρF = 1 ρF = 2 ρF = 4
location of object
Volume of Object 1000 cm3 1000 cm3 1000 cm3 1000 cm3
Mass of Object
Buoyant Force
Object Weight
Normal Force
Volume above
(if partially submerged)
Volume below
(if partially submerged)

Note: for location of object, use either (1) at the bottom of the container, (2) fully submerged and
floating in the middle part of the container, or (3) partially submerged and floating near the surface.
Also =
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Part B

1. Open http://thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/CandyBuoyancyLab/
2. Click Begin. Click on the container to gently lower it into the tank of fluid. Record the initial values
of Mass Candy Only (grams) and the volume of the fluid collected in the cylinder.
3. Click Add More to add more candy. Again,
record values of Mass Candy Only (grams)
and the volume of the fluid collected in the
graduated cylinder.
4. Repeat step 3 until you have at least 5 data
points. Record in the table. A sample data table
is shown below.
5. Click Finished. A page will appear prompting
you to enter values regarding the experiment.
Do not answer until you have calculated the
values using Excel.
6. Open Excel, plot the points with mass of the
candy (in g) as the x-values and volume of the
fluid collected in the graduated cylinder (in ml) as y-values. Determine the linear regression line.
7. Using the example below from the linear regression line:

V = (∆V/∆m) ‫ ٭‬m + V0

Where V0 is the volume submerged with no candy present (53.724); m is the mass of the candy
present in the container; V is the volume of the fluid collected and is also volume displaced by the
submerged part of the container and ∆V/∆m is the slope (0.5212) and its reciprocal is grams
required increase submerged volume by 1 ml (1/0.5212 = 1.91865).
8. Enter the values and submit. The next page will display the true values and the % errors of your
calculations. Record them.
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% error
predicted slope = actual slope =
predicted candy less volume = actual volume =
predicted grams to sink a ml = actual (grams to sink a ml) =

V. Bernoulli Equation

1. Open Fluid Dynamics and the

Bernoulli Equation simulation lab:
https://ophysics.com/fl2.html. Check
Show pressure and velocity
values.
2. For the inlet pipe (left pipe), set h1 =
5 m, r1 = 1 m, v1 = 3 m/s, P1 =
600,000 Pa. For the outlet pipe
(right side), set h2 = 3 m, r2 = 0.5 m.
3. Click Run. After values for v2 and P2
appear, click Stop. Record all the
values.
4. Do the same for the next table.
5. Using the continuity equation and
Bernoulli equation, calculate the
theoretical values of v2 and P2
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point 1 inlet pipe point 2 outlet pipe outlet pipe % error

(experimental) (theoretical)
height (m) 5m 3m - -
radius (m) 1m 0.5 m - -
velocity (m/s) 3 m/s
pressure (Pa) 600,000 Pa
volumetric flow -
rate (m3/s)
mass flow rate -
(kg/s)

point 1 inlet pipe point 2 outlet pipe outlet pipe % error

(experimental) (theoretical)
height (m) 3m 5m - -
radius (m) 0.5 m 1m - -
velocity (m/s) 5 m/s
pressure (Pa) 1,000,000 Pa
volumetric flow -
rate (m3/s)
mass flow rate -
(kg/s)

7. For the given values of h1, r1, v1, and P1 what values of h2 and r2 will you obtain the lowest
outlet pressure P2? What will be v2 and P2?
point 1 inlet pipe point 2 outlet pipe
(experimental)
height (m) 3m
radius (m) 0.5 m
velocity (m/s) 5 m/s
pressure (Pa) 700,000 Pa

8. For the given values of h2, r2, v1, and P1 what values of h1 and r1 will you obtain the lowest
outlet pressure P2? What will be v2 and P2?
point 1 inlet pipe point 2 outlet pipe
(experimental)
height (m) 3m
radius (m) 0.75 m
velocity (m/s) 3 m/s
pressure (Pa) 700,000 Pa
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QUESTIONS:
1. In Part I, what is the effect of temperature on the hydrostatic pressure?

2. In Part I, is the hydrostatic pressure the same along any constant horizontal line?

3. In Part II, what is the effect of varying the radii of both tubes?

4. In Part II, from the average value of h2/h1, what is the calculated value of ρ1/ρ2 ? Using ρ2 = 1
g/cm3 (density of water), calculate the value of ρ1 (density of maple syrup). Is this value the same
with the true value of 1.37g/mL ?

5. In Part III, the following values were used. At equilibrium, the heights of the fluids are not equal.
Record them. The difference in heights results to a differential pressure due to ∆h: ∆P = ρg∆h
Tube 1 (left) Tube 2 (right)
radius r1 mass m1 radius r2 mass m2 h1 h2
40 mm 250 g 30 mm 200 g

In this case, the assumption that the bottom surface of the pistons is not of the same height and
equation 5.3 is modified:

) ) )

Plugging values and assuming the fluid is water with ρ = 1 g/cm3, check if the equation is satisfied
within the limits of experimental accuracy

9. In part IV What is the criteria to predict if an object will float, be suspended or sink?

10. In part IV, what is the relationship between the fluid viscosity and the drag force F drag?

11. In part V, what is the relationship between pressure P2 and velocityv2?

12. (part V) Due to plaque buildup, a small part of a patient’s aorta has a smaller radius than a
regular, healthy aorta (inlet pipe to the heart). What will happen to the heart?