VISUAL PHYSICS

School of Physics
University of
SydneyAustralia
gold gold = m1 / V1 = m2 / V2 gold
m1 V1 m2 V2

 V  m

m=V V=m/
pressure !!!
F

A
Gauge and absolute pressures
Pressure gauges measure the pressure above and below
atmospheric (or barometric) pressure.

Patm = P0 = 1 atm = 101.3 kPa = 1013 hPa = 1013 millibars =

760 torr = 760 mmHg
Gauge pressure Pg 200
Absolute pressure 100 300
P
0 400

P = Pg + Patm
 200

100 300

0 400
Impact of a molecule on the wall of the
container exerts a force on the wall and
the wall exerts a force on the molecule.
Many impacts occur each second and
the total average force per unit area is
called the pressure.
The pressure in a fluid can be
defined as the ratio of the force
exerted by the fluid to the area
over which it is exerted. To get
the pressure at a point you
need to take the limit as this
area approaches zero. Because
of the weak cohesive forces
between the molecules of the
fluid, the only force that can be
applied by the fluid on a
submerged object is one that
tends to compress it. This
means the force of the fluid
acts perpendicular to the
surface of the object at any
point.
p0 pressure acting at on
surface

Weight
h of
column
of liquid
A F

Liquid – uniform density 

ph ph

p 0’

p p
0 0

(0,0) (0,0)
h h
Linear relationship between pressure and depth.
If the pressure at the surface increases then the
pressure at a depth h also increases by the
same amount.
 h

The pressure exerted by a static fluid depends only upon

the depth of the fluid, the density of the fluid, and the
acceleration of gravity

ph = p0 +  g h

Static pressure does not depend upon mass or surface

area of liquid and the shape of container due to pressure
exerted by walls.
sunshine
Cloudy / rain
?
 D

A
B C
 A

h
patm patm

B C


 F1 F2

h1

oil

h2

A1 A2
A sharp blow to the front of an eyeball will produce a higher pressure which is
transmitted to the opposite side
Another example is the pressure exerted by a growing tumour. This
increased pressure is transmitted down the spinal column via the
cerebrospinal fluid, and may be detected lower in the spinal cavity
which is less invasive than trying to detect it in the brain itself.

tumor

Increased
pressure
transmitted
down spinal
cord
Partially submerged
floating
Floating: partially
submerged

Weight of object < weight

of fluid that can be
displaced by object

Volume of displaced water

< volume of object

Weight of liquid displaced

by partially submerged Water
object = weight of object displaced
Floating: fully
submerged

Weight of object = weight

of fluid displaced by object Water
displaced
Volume of displaced water
= volume of object Static equilibrium

Some fish can remain at a fixed depth Submarines take on or discharge

without moving by storing gas in their water into their ballast tanks to
bladder. rise or dive
Sinks

Weight of object > weight

of fluid displaced by object
Water
Volume of displaced water
displaced
= volume of object
 A steel ship can encompass a great deal
of empty space and so have a large
volume and a relatively small density.

Volume of water displaced

eight of ship = weight of water displaced

 The buoyant force is equal to the weight of the water
displaced, not the water actually present. The missing
water that would have filled the volume of the ship
below the waterline is the displaced fluid.

Volume of water displaced.

This volume is not
necessarily the volume
present.

eight of ship = weight of water displaced

 FLOATING: weight of
object = buoyant
F +
B
force
F
Object partially submergedObject fullyG submerged
top
bottom A bottom top

h o A
h

F w o
F
 oil
?
water
 Flift + FB

m a=0

FG

Flift + FB =
FG
Cohesion: attractive forces between “like”
molecules
Surface of any
liquid behaves as
though it is
covered by a Net force on molecule
stretched at surface is into bulk of the liquid
membraneF
T

F
F = 0
pull up on surface push down on surface

restoring forces
Which shape corresponds to a soap bubble?

Surface of a liquid acts like an

elastic skin  minimum surface
potential energy  minimum surface
area for given volume
 FLOATING NEEDLE
Not a buoyancy phenomena FT

FT = 2 T L Equilibriu
m
FT = FG
F
Length of needle, L
G

Coefficient of
surface
tension T Surface tension acts
along length of needle on
both sides
 k = 0.70 N.m-1

x = 3410-3 m Fspring = Fe = k
x
ring
radius of ring
R = 2010-3 m

mass of ring FT + FG
m = 7.0 10-4 kg
 FLOATING NEEDLE
Not a buoyancy phenomena FT

FT = 2 T L Equilibriu
m
FT = FG
F
Length of needle, L
G

Coefficient of
surface
tension, T Surface tension acts
along length of needle on
both sides
Why can an insect walk on water?

FT
 FT cos

Surface tension force acts

around the surface of the leg
FG  FT = T L = 2  R
T

For one
leg
FG = mg /
6
Flow of a viscous fluid plate moving with
speed v

high speed
vz = v
Z

linear
X L velocity
gradient
vz = (d / L)
d v
low speed
vz = (v / L) d

stationary wall vz = 0
Flow of a viscous newtonain fluid through a pipe
Velocity Profile

Cohesive forces
between molecules
 layers of fluid
slide past each
other generating
frictional forces  Parabolic velocity
energy dissipated profile
(like rubbing hands
together)

Adhesive forces between fluid and

surface  fluid stationary at surface
Poiseuille’s Law: laminar flow of a newtonian fluid
through a pipe
Q = dV = p  R4
dt 8L
p1 > p2 pressure
drop along pipe 
volume flow rate Q = dV/dt energy dissipated
(thermal) by
parabolic friction between
velocity streamlines
moving past each
profile
p = p -
other
1
p2
R p1  p2

Q = dV/dt
L
 streamlines

Streamlines
for fluid
passing an
obstacle

v
Velocity of particle
- tangent to streamline
Velocity profile for the laminar
flow of a non viscous liquid
A1
A2

 

v2

v1
 A1 A1
A2

v2 v1
v1
Low speed high speed Low speed
Low KE high KE Low KE
High pressure low pressure High pressure
Y x 2 p2

m A2
v2
X

time 2

p1 x
1
y2
A1 m
v1

y1 time 1
 force

high speed
low pressure

force
 high velocity flow

low pressure velocity increased

high
pressure decreased

pressur
e
(patm)
 5 slow flow
(streamlines
further apart)
high
1 pressure

Same speed
and pressure
across river

faster flow
(streamlines
closer
together) low
pressure
 p large p large

p small

v small v large v small

 artery

Flow speeds up at External forces causes

constriction artery to collapse
Pressure is lower
Internal force
acting on artery
wall is reduced
 (1) Point on surface of liquid

y1

v2 = ?
m.s-1
y2
(2) Point just outside hole
(1)

(2)

v1 F
= ?

m
 C

A yC

B yA

yB
D
Ideal fluid

Real fluid
 head
arm arm

lung
lung
hear
t
trun
k leg
leg
Floating ball
 Resultant
FR
Lift FL
C

A B

drag D
FD
 Drag force due
to pressure difference
low pressure region

rotational KE of
eddies  heating
effect  increase in
internal energy 
temperature increases

motion of air

high pressure region motion of object

 Drag force due
to pressure difference
low pressure region

rotational KE of
eddies  heating
effect  increase in
internal energy 
temperature increases

NO CURVE
Drag force is
opposte to the
high pressure region direction of
motion
Tear drop shape for streamlining
v v

vT vT

t t

Object falling from rest Object thrown

down with
initial speed v0
>v
 Drag force due
to pressure difference
flow speed (high) vair + v
 reduced pressure
v
vair (vball) MAGNUS EFFECT

v flow speed (low) vair - v

 increased pressure

Boundary layer –
air sticks to ball
high pressure region (viscosity) – air
low pressure region dragged around
 The trajectory
of a golf ball is
not parabolic

Golf ball with backspin (rotating CW) with air stream going from
left to right. Note that the air stream is deflected downward with a
downward force. The reaction force on the ball is upward. This
gives the longer hang time and hence distance carried.
lift
 Direction plane is moving w.r.t. the air

Direction air is moving w.r.t. plane

low
pressure lift

low pressure
attack angle drag
high
momentum transfer pressure downwash
huge vortices