Faculty of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Department

Fluid Lab Report

Izzeddin Atef Teeti

120367
Lab #1 : Measurement of Liquids Density and Specific Weight
2.3.2015

Mark
Abstract’
Density is how much object heavy and compacted per unit volume
hydrometer consists of a cylindrical stem and a bulb weighted with mercury or lead shot to make it
float upright.

Specific gravity: is the ratio between the density of substance to the density of water
The hydrometer makes use of Archimedes' principle: a solid suspended in a fluid is buoyed by a
force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the submerged part of the suspended solid. The
lower the density of the fluid, the deeper a hydrometer of a given weight sinks; the stem is calibrated
to give a numerical reading.

In this experiment, the density and specific weight of certain liquids will be determined
at atmospheric pressure and temperature.

Introduction
The purpose of this experiment was to identify the density (which is the ratio between
mass and volume), and specific weight (which is the weight per unit volume of a material), for
three liquids, namely, Water, Glycerol, and Glycerin by the hydrometer, which is an instruments
based on Archimedes’ principle, which is an object immersed in a fluid is buoyed upwards, by
a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Equipment and Methods

In this experiment, the following instruments are needed to determine the density of
each liquid using Archimedes’ principle:
1. Three cylinders (Water, Glycerol, and Glycerin)
2. Hydrometer
3. Thermometer

Experimental Procedure
1. Fill the graduated cylinder of 250 ml with distilled water up to 3 cm from the brim.
2. Immerse the thermometer and the measure the temperature (T) of the liquid.
3. Extract the thermometer and insert the hydrometer making sure it floats freely, without
touching the walls of the cylinder.
4. Read the density on the graduated scale.
5. Repeat the test using other liquids.
Results and Calculation
Reading the scale of the hydrometer densities of the fluids are found to be: 0.99 g/m3
for water, 1.2 g/m3 for Glycerin, and 1.26 g/m3 for Glycerol, at a temperature of 14 C.

Using the law , the specific gravity for the three liquids are found to
be;
SG(water) = 999/1000 = 1 , SG(Glycerin) = 1200 /1000 = 1.2 , SG(Glycerol) = 1260/1000 = 1.26 ,
at a temperature of 14 C.
Using γ = ρ g , the specific weight for the three liquids are found to be;
γ (water) = 999 * 9.81 = 9810 N/m3 , γ(Glycerin) = 1200 * 9.81 = 11772 N/m3 , and γ(Glycerol) =
1260 * 9.81 = 12360.6 N/m3.

Discussion
The density is useful intensive (do not change with the amount of matter we have like volume)
property that is used in many important calculations. The density of Glycerin is more than Glycerol,
and Glycerol more than water, which means that they are heavier that water, since there is
more mass of them in one cubic meter than which for water. The density can varies whether
the liquid is compressible or not, and the way to calculate it differs according to the state of the
material (soled, liquid, or gas).
The results found are partly accurate, the density and specific weight for both Glycerin
and Glycerol are exactly the same in comparison to the theoretical values. However, the density
for water is slightly different from the theoretical value, a logical reason for that is that the
instrument (Hydrometer) could not measure precisely; moreover, the experimental value was
red by a human so there is a chance that his reading is not accurate, besides the water is not
distilled so maybe its component make the density different. However, as a recommendation,
we could have avoid that error by bring a pure distilled water and do the reading several times
then take the average; this will give a more accurate result.
Because the other densities were accurate, the human and instrumental error are
neglected, so most of the error comes from the fact that the water is not pure distilled water.
The relationship between density and specific weight is linear and directly
proportional, if density increased, specific weight will increase.
The specific weight is useful parameter to indicate a clear and obvious idea about the
density of a liquid, furthermore, in fluid mechanics; specific weight represents the force
exerted by gravity on a unit volume of a fluid. For this reason, units are expressed as force per
unit volume (e.g., N/m3 or lb/ft3).
Conclusion
Specific weight (which depends on the density) has a significant importance in
engineering applications specially the civil and mechanical, for example, it can be used as a
characteristic property of a fluid, and can be used in mechanical engineering to determine the
weight of a structure designed to carry certain loads while remaining intact and remaining
within limits regarding deformation.