F

INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

Viscosity by stokes law.

SET UP
DESCRIPTION
SPECIFICATIONS
INSTALLATION REQUIRWMWNTS
INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS
PRECAUTIONS
TROUBLE SHOOTING

EXPREMENTATION
THEORY
OPERATING PROCEDURE
SYSTEM CONSTANTS
OBSERVATION TABLE
CALCULATIONS

Aim
To determine viscosity of a fluid by stokes law.

Apparatus: system consists of three glass tubes of same diameter and height filled
with fluids of different viscosities. This apparatus is also called as falling sphere
viscometer.
Theory: In such device liquid is placed in tall vertical cylinder and a sphere of known
weight and diameter is dropped in it. If the sphere is small enough, stokes law will
prevail and the fall velocity of the sphere will be approximately inversely
proportional to the absolute viscosity of the liquid.
That this is so may seen by examining the free falling body diagram of such falling
sphere. The forces acting include gravity, buoyancy, and drag. Stokes law states
that if DV/v<1, the drag force is given by

FD = 3 VD.
Where V is the velocity of the sphere and D is the diameter. When the sphere is
dropped in a liquid, it will quickly accelerate to terminal velocity at which Fz = 0
Then

D3
D 3
W FB FD = S

3VD = 0
6
6
Where

s & Represents the specific weight of sphere and liquid, respectively. Solving the
above equation, we get

D 2 ( S )
=
.
18V
NOTE. It is assumed that the sphere was dropped in a liquid of infinite extent. In
actuality, the liquid will be contained in a tube and a wall effect will influence the

drag force and hence the fall velocity. Other fluid properties such as surface
tension, elasticity, vapor pressure and temperature will effect on measurement.

Procedure:
1. Note diameter of sphere and weight of the sphere.
2. Drop sphere in cylinder from top hopper.
3. Allow to reach terminal velocity.
4. Measure time taken to fall the sphere for a known height.
5. calculate viscosity of the fluid by using the equation

D 2 ( S )
=
.
18V
WHERE
D = diameter of sphere.
V = velocity.
= viscosity of liquid.

s = Specific weight of sphere.

= Specific weight of liquid.

Repeat the procedure for different spheres and different fluids of different
viscosities.
OBSERVATION TABLE.
Sr. no.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Sphere
weight

Sphere
height

Time taken to reach height

x cm.