Two fluids are poured from identical jars and one flows far more sluggishly than the other. Which named quantity accounts for the difference in how easily each flows?
AThe density of the fluid
BThe pressure of the fluid
CThe viscosity of the fluid
DThe buoyancy of the fluid
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The viscosity of the fluid
1. All fluids yield to shearing forces, but they do not all yield at the same rate.
2. The extent to which a fluid yields to shearing forces, and hence how easily and quickly it flows, is set by its viscosity.
3. Density is mass per unit volume and says nothing directly about how fast a fluid gives way to a shear.
4. Pressure is force per unit area and buoyancy is an upward force, so neither measures resistance to flow.
5. Viscosity is the quantity being described.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 11 "Fluid Statics", section 11.1 What Is a Fluid?_
Related questions
Two objects have equal mass but one has twice the volume. Its density is:Pressure in a fluid rises with depth, which is why a container's bottom supports:Water beads up on a waxed car but spreads on bare paint because of the balance between:A tyre gauge reading 200 kilopascals in an atmosphere of 100 kilopascals means the absolutAn object with specific gravity less than one placed in water will:Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of an object's density to the density of:The buoyant force is described as always present whether an object floats, sinks or is:If the buoyant force exceeds an object's weight, the object will: