Fluid Mechanics

Chapter 3

Name: JOANNA K. SARMIENTO

Year and Block: BSED – SCIENCE 1B

Activity 6:
Answer the following:

1. Hold a sheet of paper in front of your mouth. What happens to the paper when you
blow across the top surface? Why?
- It has to do with Bernoulli’s principle, which states that an increase in speed of a
flowing fluid results in a decrease of pressure. It is based on Newton’s second
law of motion, which pertains to conservation of energy. In basic terms, the
movement of air represents the potential energy, for them to be conserved or
remain equal, if the kinetic energy is increased, then the potential energy must
decrease. In the paper, when you blow over the top surface of the paper, thus
reducing its pressure. The pressure below the paper remains at the normal
atmospheric pressure of 14.7 PSI and now the pressure above the paper is
somewhat lower than that, the difference in pressure with relatively higher
pressure below the paper and lower pressure above will push the paper
upwards.
2. Why is that when cars pass each other at high speed on the road, they tend to be drawn
to each other.
- The reason is the high velocity of the air between the car and the truck creates a
region of lower pressure, and the vehicles are pushed together by greater
pressure on the outside.
3. Explain, using Bernoulli’s principle, why the roof of houses is blown away during a strong
typhoon.
- High speed winds may blow the roof of our house but the pressure within the
winds is actually less than for still air of the same density. The high wind blowing
over the roof creates a low pressure in accordance with Bernoulli’s principle. The
pressure below the roof is equal to the atmospheric pressure which is now larger
than pressure above the roof. The different of pressure causes an upward thrust
and the roof come up. Once the roof is lifter up, it is blown off with the wind
along its direction.