PHY11 Lesson 6

Fluid Mechanics
Density and Specific Gravity
Density  – mass per unit volume.

m
 units: kg/m3 , g/cm3 , lb/ft3 …
V

specific gravity SG– the ratio of the density of a material

and the density of water at 4oC.

 material
SG 
 water
Densities of Common Substances
Fluid Pressure
A fluid at rest exerts a force perpendicular to any
surface it is in contact with.
Pressure is defined as the normal force per unit
area.

F
p
A

dF units:
p 
dA 1 N/m2 = 1 Pa
1 atm = 1.013 kPa
1 atm = 1.013 bar
1 atm = 14.70 psi
Fluid Pressure
Consider a fluid element at rest.

 w  F1  F2  0
F1
 w  p1 A  p2 A  0

   Ady g  p1 A  p2 A  0

 gdy  p1  p2  0
w
F2
p2  p1  gdy
where:

p  po  gh
p – pressure at depth h
po – pressure on the surface
gh – pressure due to liquid
Fluid Pressure

mercury barometer
ANSWERS:
(a)1.07 x 105 Pa
(b)1.03 x 105 Pa
(c) 1.03 x 105 Pa
(d)5.33 x 103 Pa
Pascal’s Principle
A change in pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is
transmitted undiminished to every part of the fluid and the walls
of the containing vessel.

p1  p2

F1 F2

A1 A2
ANSWERS:
14.24: 10.9
14.25: 1.7 x 105 Pa or 1.7 atm
Archimedes Principle
A body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force
equal to the weight of the displaced fluid.

Archimedes:
287 – 212 BC
Archimedes Principle

object in air: object in water: BUOYANT FORCE:

WA
FB  weight loss
WW
FB  WA  WW

FB  weight of
FB
displaced fluid
Vg
Vg FB   fluidV fluid g

WA  Vg WW  Vg  FB
ANSWERS: 0.562 m3
ANSWERS:
(a)6370 N
(b) 558 kg
(c) 85.85%
ANSWERS:
(a) 116 Pa
(b) 921 Pa
(c) 0.821 kg, 821 kg/m3