Topic: Stoke's law, bouyancy and viscosity

Source: Ed Excel, A level questions

Stoke's Law, Buoyancy and Viscosity

1. Define Stoke's Law.

2. What is the relationship between the velocity of a small sphere settling in

a viscous medium and the radius of the sphere according to Stoke's Law?

3. Explain the concept of buoyancy.

4. What is the principle of buoyancy?

5. What is the relationship between the buoyant force and the weight of the
fluid displaced by the object?

6. Define viscosity.

7. What factors affect the viscosity of a fluid?

8. How does temperature affect the viscosity of a fluid?

9. What is the difference between a viscous and a non-viscous fluid?

10. How does Stoke's Law help in determining the viscosity of a fluid?
11. What is the role of buoyancy in the floating and sinking of objects?

12. How does the viscosity of a fluid affect the motion of an object through
it?

13. Explain how Stoke's Law is applied in the sedimentation of particles in a

fluid.

14. What are the limitations of Stoke's Law?

15. Provide a real-life example where the principles of Stoke's Law,

buoyancy and viscosity are applied.

Answers

1. Stoke's Law describes the motion of small particles in a fluid, stating that
the force needed to move a small sphere through a viscous medium is
directly proportional to the velocity and radius of the sphere.

2. According to Stoke's Law, the velocity of a small sphere settling in a

viscous medium is directly proportional to the radius of the sphere
squared.

3. Buoyancy is the force exerted on an object that is partially or wholly

immersed in a fluid.
4. The principle of buoyancy states that the buoyant force on an object is
equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

5. The buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the
object.

6. Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's resistance to flow.

7. The factors that affect the viscosity of a fluid include temperature,

pressure and the specific interactions between the molecules of the fluid.

8. As temperature increases, the viscosity of a fluid decreases.

9. A viscous fluid has a high resistance to flow while a non-viscous fluid has
a low resistance to flow.

10. Stoke's Law can be used to determine the viscosity of a fluid by

measuring the velocity of a small sphere settling in the fluid.

11. Buoyancy determines whether an object floats or sinks. If the buoyant

force is greater than the weight of the object, it floats. If it is less, the
object sinks.

12. The viscosity of a fluid affects the motion of an object through it by

resisting its movement. The higher the viscosity, the slower the object
moves.
13. Stoke's Law is applied in the sedimentation of particles in a fluid by
predicting the rate at which the particles will settle.

14. The limitations of Stoke's Law include that it only applies to small
particles in a fluid and assumes that the fluid is incompressible and the
flow is laminar.

15. Real-life examples where the principles of Stoke's Law, buoyancy and
viscosity are applied include the settling of sediment in a river, the floating
of a ship in the sea, and the flow of oil in a pipeline.