Identifying factors influencing the fluid friction in Friction – Class 8 Science Experiment

Chapter Name: Friction

Activity Name: Identifying factors influencing the fluid friction in Friction

Activity Description:

Required Items:

1. Tub of water

Step by Step Procedure:

1. Fill the tub with water.
2. Place your hand flat in the water with fingers stretched out.
3. Attempt to move your hand up and down (in the direction of the stretched fingers) through the water and observe the level of drag or resistance experienced.
4. Now, try moving your hand to and fro (perpendicular to the plane of the hand) through the water and note the level of drag experienced.
5. Compare the observations to identify in which orientation (up and down or to and fro) your hand experiences more drag.

Experiment Observations:

1. The hand experiences more drag when moving to and fro (perpendicular to the plane of the hand) through the water.
2. Less drag is felt when moving up and down (in the direction of the stretched fingers).

Precautions:

1. Ensure the water level in the tub is sufficient to cover your hand adequately.
2. Be cautious not to splash water outside the tub during the experiment.

Lesson Learnt from Experiment:

The orientation of an object in a fluid significantly affects the frictional force it experiences. Moving an object through a fluid in the direction perpendicular to its surface (like to and fro motion) results in higher drag compared to moving it parallel to the surface (like up and down motion). This observation confirms that frictional force in a fluid depends on the object’s shape and its motion relative to the fluid.