A fluid in which resistance to deformation is independent of the shear stress, is known as
- A.Bingham plastic fluid
- B.Pseudo plastic fluid
- C.Dilatants fluid
- D.Newtonian fluid
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, a Newtonian fluid. In such a fluid the shearing stress is directly proportional to the rate of shear, so the coefficient of viscosity, which measures the resistance to deformation, keeps the same value whatever the stress applied; water, air, petrol and thin oils behave in this way. Option A, a Bingham plastic, is wrong because it will not flow at all until a yield stress is exceeded, toothpaste being the familiar example. Option B, a pseudoplastic fluid, is wrong because its apparent viscosity falls as the shear rate rises, which is how paint spreads when it is brushed. Option C, a dilatant fluid, is wrong because its apparent viscosity rises with the shear rate, as in a thick paste of cornflour and water that hardens when struck. The last three are grouped together as non-Newtonian fluids.
Read the full article: Fluids: Buoyancy, Viscosity and Surface Tension Notes
Practice Questions
View allOn which of the following factors does the magnitude of the buoyant force acting on a body in a given fluid depend?
- A.Weight of the body immersed in it
- B.Shape of the body immersed in the fluid.
- C.Density of the fluid and mass of the body immersed in it
- D.Density of the fluid and the volume of the body immersed in it
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D. By Archimedes' principle the upthrust on a body equals the weight of the fluid it displaces, and that weight is the volume of the body actually immersed multiplied by the density of the fluid and by the acceleration due to gravity. Only those two properties of the situation enter the expression. Option A is wrong because the weight of the body decides whether it floats or sinks but not the size of the upthrust; a kilogram of lead and a kilogram of cork displace very different volumes. Option B is wrong because shape matters only in so far as it changes the volume immersed; a lump and a sheet of the same metal fully submerged receive the same upthrust. Option C is wrong because it replaces volume with mass, and two bodies of equal mass but different density displace different volumes of fluid.
What percent of the total volume of an iceberg floats above the water surface? Assume the density of ice to be 920 kg/m3 and the density of water to be 1000 kg/m3.
- A.6
- B.8
- C.92
- D.20
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 8 per cent. A floating body displaces its own weight of fluid, so the fraction of its volume that lies below the surface equals the ratio of its density to the density of the fluid, here 920 divided by 1000, which is 0.92. That means 92 per cent of the iceberg is submerged and the remaining 8 per cent stands above the water. Option A, 6 per cent, is wrong because it would require an ice density of 940 kilograms per cubic metre. Option C, 92 per cent, is wrong because that is the submerged fraction, and it is the commonest error in this question, since the candidate stops one step too early. Option D, 20 per cent, is wrong by a wide margin and would need a density ratio of 0.8. The same calculation explains why only the tip of an iceberg is seen at sea.
Centre of buoyancy is
- A.Centre of gravity of the body
- B.Centre of mass of displaced fluid
- C.Mid point between Centre of gravity and metacentre
- D.The point of intersection of buoyant force and centre line of the body
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the centre of mass of the displaced fluid. The upthrust on a body is the resultant of the pressure forces of the fluid around it, and that resultant acts through the centre of gravity of the fluid the body has pushed aside, which is why the point is called the centre of buoyancy. Option A is wrong because the centre of gravity of the body depends on how the body's own mass is distributed, and the two points coincide only when the body is of uniform density and fully submerged. Option C is wrong because the metacentre is a separate point, defined where the line of the upthrust cuts the centre line of a slightly tilted body, and it lies above the centre of gravity in stable flotation. Option D describes the metacentre rather than the centre of buoyancy.
A liquid rises upto a height greater than that for water in given capillary tube. Its reason may be that
- A.the liquid is more viscous than water.
- B.the temperature of liquid is higher than that of water.
- C.the surface tension of water is less than that of liquid.
- D.the surface tension of water is more than that of liquid.
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C. In a capillary tube the height of rise is directly proportional to the surface tension of the liquid and inversely proportional to its density and the radius of the tube. If a liquid climbs higher than water in the same tube, the most natural explanation is that its surface tension is greater than that of water, which is the same as saying that the surface tension of water is less than that of the liquid. Option D states the relation the wrong way round and would make the liquid rise less than water. Option A is wrong because viscosity decides how fast the liquid rises, not how far; the final height is a matter of equilibrium. Option B is wrong because raising the temperature lowers surface tension, which would reduce the rise rather than increase it.
Pascal's law is the principle behind which of the following devices?
- A.Hydraulic brakes
- B.Barometer
- C.Hydrometer
- D.Siphon
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Explanation
The correct answer is A, hydraulic brakes. Pascal's law says that pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted undiminished to every part of the fluid and to the walls of the vessel, so a modest push on the brake pedal creates a pressure in the brake fluid that is passed to the wider pistons at every wheel, where it becomes a large force. The hydraulic lift and the hydraulic press work the same way. Option B is wrong because a barometer measures atmospheric pressure by balancing it against a column of mercury. Option C is wrong because a hydrometer floats in a liquid and measures relative density, which rests on the law of flotation. Option D is wrong because a siphon works on the difference in pressure caused by the difference in the height of the two liquid levels.