Liquids, gases and plasmas are all classified as fluids. Which behaviour under a sideways force earns them that name?
AThey resist a shearing force firmly
BThey yield to a shearing force
CThey store a shearing force fully
DThey cancel a shearing force exactly
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. They yield to a shearing force
1. A shearing force is a sideways force applied along a surface rather than into it.
2. Liquids, gases and plasmas yield to shearing forces, which is exactly why they are grouped as fluids.
3. Solids resist shearing forces, so resisting a shear is the mark of a solid rather than of a fluid.
4. Fluids neither store nor cancel a shear, they simply give way to it and flow.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 11 "Fluid Statics", section 11.1 What Is a Fluid?_
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