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General Physics Science Fair Project

Temperature and Liquid Flow Rates

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Temperature and Liquid Flow Rates | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does warming a liquid make it flow faster? Viscosity (how thick a liquid feels) controls the speed at which fluids pour. Some liquids change more than others when heated. You drill a small hole in the bottom of a metal cup. Then you fill it with one liquid at a time. Test water at temperatures from 20°C to 50°C. Then repeat with milk and corn oil. A stopwatch tracks how long the cup takes to empty through the hole. Corn oil starts out flowing very slowly but speeds up sharply with heat. Water flows fastest at every temperature. Compare all three flow rates to see which liquid responds most to warming.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that water has the lowest viscosity and the fastest rate of flow followed by milk, while corn oil has the highest viscosity.

Method & Materials

You will use an electric drill to make a small hole in a metal cup, fill the cup with the fluid, and measure the time it takes for the cup to empty.
You will need an electric drill, two metal cups, tap water, milk, corn oil, a hot plate, a thermometer, a stopwatch, and an assistant.

Results

The experiment showed that water had the fastest rate of flow and the corn oil had the slowest. The flow rate of water, milk and corn oil increased as the temperature increased.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how temperature affects the viscosity of different fluids, which is important to understand when transporting fluids like water, crude oil, or natural gas through pipes.

Also Consider

Consider repeating the experiment using different fluids like honey, ethanol, and engine oil. Also, try repeating the experiment using a larger hole in the cup and observe if that makes any difference.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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