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Viscosity of Liquids Science Experiment

Viscosity? If you’ve never heard this word before you might think it’s a new brand of kitchen cleaner! But of course, if it’s not a kitchen cleaner, what in the world is it?

We’ll help define viscosity in our easy to understand explanation of how it works below, but the goal of this experiment is to help kids ‘see’ viscosity in action.

Collect your materials, print out our detailed instructions, and watch our demonstration video to explore how the consistency of a liquid impacts objects.

JUMP TO SECTION: Instructions | Video Tutorial | How it Works

Supplies Needed

• 4 clear glass jars of the same size (we used pint-sized mason jars)
• Water (enough to fill one jar)
• Corn Syrup (enough to fill one jar)
• Cooking Oil (enough to fill one jar) We used Vegetable Oil, but any Cooking Oil will work.
• Honey (enough to fill one jar)

Viscosity of Liquids Science Lab Kit – Only $5

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Viscosity of Liquids Science Experiment Instructions

Step 1 – Gather four clear glass jars and fill one with water, one with corn syrup, one with cooking oil (we used vegetable oil, but any cooking oil will work) and one with honey.

As you are pouring the liquids, take a moment to make observations. What do you notice as you pour the water into the glass? What about the corn syrup, the cooking oil and the honey? Did you notice anything different?

Do you think the liquid will impact what happens when a marble is placed into each jar? What do you think will happen? Write down your hypothesis (prediction) and then continue the experiment to test it out and to find out if you were correct.

Step 2 – Carefully drop one marble into each jar. Drop one marble at a time and observe what happens to the marble when it enters the liquid. You’ll notice right away that the marble behaves differently in each jar. Was your hypothesis correct? Do you know why some marbles sink to the bottom of the jar quickly and some marbles sink to the bottle of the jar slowly?

Find out the answer in the how does this experiment work section below. It also contains ideas on how you can expand on the experiment.

Viscosity of Liquids Science Experiment Video Tutorial

How Does the Science Experiment Work?

The question answered in this experiment is: how does the consistency of a liquid impact how long it will take for a marble to sink in a jar of that liquid? A unique property of liquids is something called viscosity.

Viscosity is a liquid’s resistance to flowing.

Viscosity depends on the size and shape of the particles that make the liquid, as well as the attraction between the particles. Liquids that have a LOW viscosity flow quickly (ie. water, rubbing alcohol, and vegetable oil). Liquids that have a HIGH viscosity flow slowly (ie. honey, corn syrup, and molasses). Viscosity can also be thought of as a measure of how “thick” a liquid is. The more viscous (or thick) a liquid is, the longer it will take for an object to move through the liquid.

In our experiment, the marbles took longer to sink when dropped into the jars filled with corn syrup and honey than they did when dropped into the jars filled with water and cooking oil. Therefore, we’ve shown that corn syrup and honey have a higher viscosity (or are more viscous) than water and cooking oil.

More Science Fun

• How long will it take? Expand on the experiment, by estimating how long it will take for the marble to sink to the bottom of the jar? Then set a timer and find out how close your estimate was. Tip: Timing the marble, works best when using liquids that have a high viscosity (ie. honey, corn syrup, and molasses).
• The Pouring Test – When you are finished dropping the marbles into the jars, try pouring the liquids one at a time into another jar. You will notice that it takes longer to pour out the Corn Syrup and Honey than it does to pour out the Water and Cooking Oil. This is because the viscosity of a liquid can also be observed by how slow (or fast) it takes to pour the liquid.
• How Does the Consistency of a Liquid Impact Magnetic Attraction – This experiment shows how the viscosity of a liquid impacts how fast (or slow) the objects move toward a magnet.

I hope you enjoyed the experiment. Here are some printable instructions:

Viscosity of a Liquid Experiment Science Experiment

• 4 clear glass jars of the same size (we used pint sized mason jars)
• Cooking Oil (enough to fill one jar)

Instructions

• Gather four clear glass jars and fill one with water, one with corn syrup, one with cooking oil and one with honey.
• Carefully drop one marble into each jar. Drop one marble at a time and observe what happens to the marble when it enters the liquid. Which marbles sink to the bottom of the jar quickly and which marbles sink to the bottle of the jar slowly.

Reader Interactions

December 13, 2017 at 5:00 pm

The honey and corn syrup has a higher density than the water and oil because ther are more particals in a certain amount of space making it slower for the marball to sink to the bottom.

April 28, 2019 at 1:51 pm

Some liquids are less dense. Some liquids are more dense. The denser liquids make the marbles flow slower. The less dense liquids (water and oil) make the marbles flow faster. The more dense liquids (honey and corn syrup) make the marbles flow slower.

September 17, 2019 at 7:37 am

Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. It describes the internal friction of a moving fluid. A fluid with large viscosity resists motion because its molecular makeup gives it a lot of internal friction. A fluid with low viscosity flows easily because its molecular makeup results in very little friction when it is in motion…… So it is to do with the size and shape of the molecule rather than the density. If you heat up a liquid the density will change slightly but the viscosity will change a lot.

August 22, 2020 at 12:33 am

Honey is much thicker than oil, so the process is a little slower than the marble goes to the bottom of the honey.

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Physics archive

Course: physics archive   >   unit 9.

• What is volume flow rate?
• What is Bernoulli's equation?

Viscosity and Poiseuille flow

• Turbulence at high velocities and Reynold's number
• Venturi effect and Pitot tubes
• Surface Tension and Adhesion

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Discover and compare the viscosity of different liquids, from oil to water.

The viscosity of a liquid is another term for the thickness of a liquid. Thick treacle-like liquids are viscous; runny liquids like water are less viscous.

This experiment should take 20 minutes. 

• Eye protection, if desired
• Sealed tubes of different liquids (thermometer packing tubes are ideal)

Choose from:

• Cooking oil
• Washing up liquid
• Shampoo or bubble bath

Health, safety and technical notes

• Read our standard health and safety guidance .
• Wear eye protection if desired.
• Ethanol is highly flammable, see CLEAPSS Hazcard HC040a .
• Take one of the tubes provided.
• Ensure the bubble is at the top and the tube is held vertical.
• Quickly invert the tube and measure the time it takes for the bubble to reach the top.
• Repeat this measurement for all the samples
• Complete a table, as shown below.

Remind students to time each liquid using a consistent method – eg measure the time from inversion until the ‘bubble first hits the top’. 

• Which liquid is the most viscous?
• Which liquid is the least viscous?
• Design a different experiment for comparing the viscosity of liquids.

Viscosity - teacher notes

Viscosity - student sheet, additional information.

This practical is part of our  Classic chemistry experiments  collection.

• 11-14 years
• 14-16 years
• 16-18 years
• Practical experiments
• Properties of matter

Specification

• Boiling points, melting points, viscosity and solubility/miscibility in water are properties of substances that are affected by hydrogen bonding.
• 2. Develop and use models to describe the nature of matter; demonstrate how they provide a simple way to to account for the conservation of mass, changes of state, physical change, chemical change, mixtures, and their separation.

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How to Measure Viscosity

Last Updated: January 12, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 483,532 times.

Viscosity can be defined as the measurement of a liquid's resistance to flow, also referred to as a liquid's internal friction. Consider water and molasses. Water flows relatively freely, while molasses is less fluid. Because molasses is more resistant to flow, it has a higher viscosity than water. While there are a number of methods from which to choose in deciding how to measure viscosity, perhaps the least complicated involves dropping a ball into a clear container of the liquid for which you are trying to determine viscosity.

Understanding Viscosity

Measuring Viscosity

• The sphere can be a small marble or steel ball. Make sure its diameter is no greater than half the diameter of the graduate cylinder so it can easily be dropped into the cylinder.
• A graduated cylinder is a plastic container that has graded markings on the side that allow you to measure volume.
• You can use a watch instead of a stopwatch, but your measurements will be more accurate with a stopwatch.
• The liquid must be clear enough to see the marble as it’s dropped through the liquid. Try testing many different liquids with different flow rates to see how their viscosities differ. Some common liquids you could try including water, honey, corn syrup, cooking oil, and milk.

• Measure the mass by placing the sphere on a balance. Record the mass in grams (g).
• Determine the volume of a sphere using the formula V= (4/3) x π x r 3 , where V is volume, π is the constant 3.14, and r is the radius of the sphere. You can find the radius by measuring around the center of the sphere to get its circumference and then dividing the circumference by 2π.
• You can also find volume by measuring the displacement of water in a graduated cylinder. Record the initial water level, place the sphere in the water, and record the new water level. Subtract the initial from the new water level. This number equals the volume of your sphere in milliliters (mL).

• Measure the mass of the liquid by first weighing the empty graduated cylinder. Pour your liquid into the graduated cylinder and then weigh it again. Subtract the mass of the empty cylinder from that of the cylinder with the liquid in it to obtain the mass of the liquid in grams (g).
• To find the volume of the liquid, simply determine the amount of liquid you poured into the graduated cylinder by using the graded markings on the side of the cylinder. Record the volume in milliliters (mL).

• Draw a mark at the top of the cylinder about 2.5 centimeter (1 in) (1 in) from the top of the liquid.
• Draw a second mark about 2.5 centimeter (1 in) (1 in) from the bottom of the graduated cylinder.
• Measure the distance between the top and bottom marks. Place the bottom of the ruler at the bottom mark and record the distance to the top mark.

• Liquids with low viscosities are going to be more difficult to measure with this method because it will be harder to accurately start and stop the stopwatch.
• Repeat this step at least three times (the more times you repeat, the more accurate your measurement will be) and average the three times together. To find the average, add up the times for each trial and divide by the number of trials you performed.
• This works best if the ball is small enough that the flow around the ball is truly viscous and far from turbulent. The ball must also be much smaller than the container so the ball can be dropped at least 10 ball-radii from the side walls.

• For example, let’s say the density of your fluid is 1.4 g/mL, the density of your sphere is 5 g/mL, the radius of the sphere is 0.002 m, and the velocity of the sphere is 0.05 m/s.
• Plugging into the equation: viscosity = [2(5 – 1.4)(9.8)(0.002)^2]/(9 x 0.05) = 0.00062784 Pa s

Expert Q&A

• Keeping a data table may help you keep track of your measurements where you otherwise may get disorganized. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• All measurements should be metric. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Don’t forget to add units at the end of the calculation. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

• The ball that you use must have a higher density than the liquid for this process to work. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• When you fill the graduated cylinder with the liquid, make a point not to come too close to the top. If you don't leave sufficient space, the displacement of the liquid caused by the sphere may result in overflowing, which would throw off your calculations. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure there is not any water or other liquid in the graduated cylinder when you begin. The presence of another liquid could make your measurements inaccurate. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Clean the liquid off of the sphere and dry it thoroughly between runs before you drop it into the graduated cylinder. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

Things You'll Need

• Small solid ball or sphere-shaped object that does not float on the liquid you are using
• Liquid to be measured
• Graduated cylinder bigger around than the sphere
• Meter stick or another metric ruler
• Grease pencil
• Scale or balance

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://physics.info/viscosity/
• ↑ http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/dynamic-absolute-kinematic-viscosity-d_412.html
• ↑ https://sciencing.com/calculate-viscosity-6403093.html
• ↑ http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1DKin/Lesson-5/Acceleration-of-Gravity
• ↑ https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/cub_/activities/cub_surg/cub_surg_lesson03_activity1.xml

About This Article

To measure viscosity, fill a graduated cylinder with the liquid to be measured and mark the liquid's positions at the top and bottom of the cylinder. Drop a marble into the liquid and start a stopwatch, then record the time it takes for the ball to drop between the marks. Calculate the velocity of the sphere, then plug the information you've gathered into the viscosity formula to get your answer! To learn more about the concept of viscosity, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

• TeachEngineering
• Measuring Viscosity

Hands-on Activity Measuring Viscosity

Grade Level: 9 (8-10)

Time Required: 1 hours 15 minutes

Expendable Cost/Group: US $1.00

Group Size: 3

Activity Dependency: Viscous Fluids

Subject Areas: Algebra, Biology, Chemistry, Measurement, Physical Science, Physics, Reasoning and Proof

Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• Challenges of Laparoscopic Surgery
• Using Hooke's Law to Understand Materials
• Creepy Silly Putty
• Preconditioning Balloons: Viscoelastic Biomedical Experiments
• Designing a Robotic Surgical Device

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, vocabulary/definitions, troubleshooting tips, activity extensions, activity scaling, user comments & tips.

Engineers often design devices that transport fluids, use fluids for lubrication, or operate in environments that contain fluids. Thus, engineers must understand how fluids behave under various conditions. Understanding fluid behavior can help engineers to select the optimal fluids to operate in devices or to design devices that are able to successfully operate in environments that contain fluids.

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Measure the viscosity of a fluid.
• Describe a fluid as having "high" or "low" viscosity.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

Common Core State Standards - Math

International technology and engineering educators association - technology, state standards, colorado - math, colorado - science, texas - science.

Each group needs:

• graduated cylinder (the taller the better)
• marble or steel ball (must be half the diameter of the cylinder or smaller, and sink in the fluid being measured; the slower the ball sinks, the easier it is to measure the viscosity)
• Viscosity Activity Worksheet , one per person
• calculators
• Internet access, to research viscosities for one worksheet question

To share with the entire class:

• thick, somewhat clear household fluids, such as motor oil, corn syrup, pancake syrup, shampoo, liquid soap (perhaps a different fluid for each 1-2 groups), enough of each liquid to fill a graduated cylinder for each group that tests it
• scale, to measure the masses of graduated cylinders, with and without the liquids

Fluid mechanics is the study of how fluids react to forces. Fluid mechanics includes hydrodynamics, the study of force on liquids, and aerodynamics, the study of bodies moving through air. This encompasses a wide variety of applications. Can you think of any examples of engineering applications for which an understanding the behavior of fluids is important? (Listen to student ideas.) Environmental engineers use fluid mechanics to study pollution dispersion, forest fires, volcano behavior, weather patterns to aid in long-term weather forecasting, and oceanography. Mechanical engineers implement fluid mechanics when designing sports equipment such as golf balls, footballs, baseballs, road bikes and swimming gear. Bioengineers study medical conditions such as blood flow through an aneurysm. Aerospace engineers study gas turbines that launch space shuttles and civil engineers use fluid mechanics for dam design. Considering just these few examples of the wide variety of applications of fluid mechanics, you can see how fluid mechanics is important to understand for many types of engineering design in our world.

In this activity, we'll be measuring a property of fluids called viscosity. Viscosity describes how a fluid resists forces, or more specifically shear forces . Shear is the type of force that occurs when two objects slide parallel to one another. Since fluids are composed of many molecules that are all moving, these molecules exert a shear force on one another. Fluids with low viscosity have a low resistance to shear forces, and therefore the molecules flow quickly and are easy to move through. Can anyone name an example of a low-viscosity fluid? (Listen to student ideas.) One example is air! Another example is water. Fluids with high viscosity flow more slowly and are harder to move through. What are examples of high-viscosity fluids? (Listen to student ideas). One example of a high-viscosity fluid is honey.

Being able to re-arrange equations to find the unknowns is an important skill for engineers! In this activity, we will measure the viscosities of a few household fluids by dropping balls into them and measuring the terminal velocities.

Before the Activity

• Gather materials and make copies of the Viscosity Activity Worksheet .
• Be sure the ball sinks slowly enough in all of the fluids that a velocity measurement can be obtained. If the ball falls too quickly, it is hard to accurately start and stop the stopwatch.
• Divide the class into groups of three students each. Hand out the worksheets.

With the Students

• Have each group choose a fluid to measure the viscosity of (or assign each group a fluid).
• Have students calculate the density of the fluid.
• Weigh the empty graduated cylinder.
• Fill the cylinder with fluid, and record the volume.
• Weigh the full graduated cylinder. Subtract the mass of the empty graduated cylinder to determine the mass of the fluid.

Note: 1 cm 3 =1 ml.

• Have students measure the density of the sphere.
• Measure the radius of the ball. Record as r [cm].

Alternatively, place the sphere in a graduated cylinder half filled with water; the displacement of the water is equal to the volume of the sphere.

• Have students drop the ball into the fluid, timing the ball as it falls a measured distance.

(Note: Ideally students would wait for the ball to reach a constant velocity, however for this activity we assume the ball reaches terminal velocity very quickly, so that students can measure the time from when the ball enters the fluid until it reaches the cylinder bottom. For less-viscous, "thinner," fluids, this may be very quick).

where g is acceleration due to gravity (981 [cm/s 2 ]). The answer should be in units of kg/cm s, or mPa-s. For comparison, the viscosity of water is approximately 1 mPa-s.

• For accuracy, have students repeat the experiment and calculate an average viscosity.
• Have groups share, compare and discuss their results as a class by either writing the results in a table on the board or on a class overhead projector.

shear: A type of force that occurs when two objects slide parallel to one another.

terminal velocity: The point at which the force exerted by gravity on a falling object is equaled by a fluid's resistance to that force.

viscosity: A fluid's ability to resist forces.

Pre-Activity Assessment

Discussion Questions: Considering the fluids available for activity testing, ask students to estimate which liquid they think will have the highest viscosity. Which will have the lowest? Write their predictions on the board.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Worksheet : Have students complete the Viscosity Activity Worksheet during the activity. If time is limited, have them research online for viscosities of common household fluids (last question) as a homework assignment. Review their answers to gauge their comprehension of the subject matter.

Post-Activity Assessment

Graphing: Have students plot fluid density (independent) vs. viscosity (dependent). In addition, students could compare marbles of various diameters and describe patterns between fluid density and viscosity, and between fluid density and marble diamater. Students then determine if the model is linear, quadratic, or exponential; if linear, use the two-point method to determine the line of best fit.

Class Presentation: Have students share and discuss their measured/calculated viscosities with the class. Compare and discuss the class results with the predictions made before beginning the activity.

Safety Issues

• Do not allow students to drink the test fluids, especially after the fluids have been in contact with the graduated cylinders.
• After the activity, responsibly dispose of the used test fluids.
• Shampoo or dish soap may create a large amount of suds when cleaning the graduated cylinders.

If the marble falls too quickly through the fluid to obtain accurate timing, use a taller graduated cylinder or a lighter marble (or both!).

Viscosity changes with temperature! Have students measure the viscosity of a fluid at a few different temperatures and graph the viscosity (y-axis) vs. temperature (x-axis).

• For lower grades, just visually compare the times it takes the balls to fall through the fluids. Perhaps a viscosity race!
• For upper grades, try varying the temperature of a fluid (see the Activity Extension section).

tudents are introduced to the similarities and differences in the behaviors of elastic solids and viscous fluids. In addition, fluid material properties such as viscosity are introduced, along with the methods that engineers use to determine those physical properties.

Students are introduced to Pascal's law, Archimedes' principle and Bernoulli's principle. Fundamental definitions, equations, practice problems and engineering applications are supplied.

Students learn why engineers must understand tissue mechanics in order to design devices that will be implanted or used inside bodies, to study pathologies of tissues and how this alters tissue function, and to design prosthetics. Students learn about collagen, elastin and proteoglycans and their ro...

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of these digital library curricula were developed by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program under National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. 0338326. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: January 11, 2022

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Viscosity Experiment With Marbles

The fun thing about science experiments for kids is that you can set them up easily and quickly with what you already have! Learn about the viscosity of fluids with a simple  viscosity experiment . Grab some marbles and find out which one will fall to the bottom first. We love  science experiments  that are fun and easy to do!

What Is Viscosity?

Friction is a force that is created when there is motion between two solid objects. Liquids can also have friction. This internal friction is called viscosity .

All liquids have different viscosities, which means some liquids flow more easily than others. Viscosity is a physical property of fluids. The word viscous comes from the Latin word viscum, meaning sticky. It describes how fluids resist flow or how “thick” or “thin” they are.

Viscosity is affected by what the fluid is made of and the temperature of it. For example, water has a low viscosity, as it is “thin.” Hair gel is much more viscous than oil and significantly more than water!

Learn about the viscosity of fluids by having a marble race. Try this fun marble drop experiment below! You could even turn it into an easy viscosity science project.

• Clear glasses
• Various liquids (water, syrup, honey, oil)
• Ruler (optional)

Instructions:

STEP 1: Fill your glasses with your various liquids. Make sure they are all filled to the same level.

Learn more about using the scientific method for kids.

STEP 2: Place your ruler on top of your glasses and then place the marbles on top.

STEP 3: Tip your ruler toward you to release all of the marbles into your glasses at the exact same time.

STEP 4: Watch closely to see which marble reaches the bottom of the glass first. Did you guess which marble would win?

Using The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is tested with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity.

Sounds heavy… What in the world does that mean?!? It means you don’t need to try and solve the world’s biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As children develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation.

LEARN MORE HERE: Using The Scientific Method with Kids

Note: The use of the best Science and Engineering Practices is also relevant to the topic of using the scientific method. Read more here and see if it fits your science planning needs.

Helpful Science Resources

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students. Then you can feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids
• Join us in the Club

Get your FREE printable viscosity science project!

More Fun Viscosity Experiments To Try

Kids can use common household materials to try more viscosity experiments!

1. Cornstarch and Water: Oobleck!

Mix cornstarch with water in a bowl until you get a gooey substance. Have the kids try to stir the mixture slowly and then quickly. Discuss how the mixture behaves differently at different speeds, demonstrating its non-Newtonian properties.

2. Honey and Syrup Races

Fill two identical containers with honey and syrup. Have the kids tip the containers simultaneously, observe, and discuss which one flows faster. This demonstrates the different viscosities of honey and syrup.

3. Oil and Water Exploration

Fill a transparent container with water and drop some cooking oil into it. Observe how the oil forms droplets and floats on the water due to its lower viscosity. Discuss why the oil and water don’t mix.

Extend this viscosity experiment with alka seltzer tables. See lava lamp experiment.

4. Bubble Fun with Dish Soap

Mix dish soap with water to create a bubble solution. Use different amounts of soap to create solutions with varying viscosities. Have the kids blow bubbles and observe how the size and stability of the bubbles change with different soap concentrations.

Check out more bubble science experiments kids will love!

5. Ketchup vs. Mustard Race

Fill two squeeze bottles, one with ketchup and the other with mustard. Have the kids squeeze both bottles onto a plate and observe and discuss which condiment has a higher viscosity.

6. Molasses Pouring

Pour molasses or honey onto a plate and observe its slow flow. Discuss how molasses has a higher viscosity compared to water.

7. Dropper Races

Fill two droppers with liquids of different viscosities, such as water and honey. Challenge the kids to squeeze the droppers and observe how fast the liquids come out. Discuss the differences in flow rate.

8. Hot and Cold Syrup

Heat one container of syrup and keep another at room temperature. Compare the viscosity of the warm and cold syrup by pouring them onto a plate. Discuss how temperature can affect viscosity.

More Fun Science Experiments

• Magic Milk Experiment
• Self Inflating Balloon Experiment
• Egg in Vinegar Experiment
• Mentos and Coke Experiment
• Pop Rocks Viscosity Experiment
• Water Density Experiment

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Drop a marble through a liquid investigation

October 9, 2013 By Emma Vanstone 4 Comments

What do you put on your porridge?

We noticed that sometimes our honey and golden syrup take a long time to pour, whereas water and milk pour almost too fast.

We’ve done viscosity experiments before by letting the liquids flow down an inclined board .

In this viscosity experiment, we attempted to refine the procedure by comparing fluids by dropping a marble through them. This is also a great opportunity to practice drawing and using tables, as well as making predictions beforehand.

You’ll need

1. Marble – washed clean so that we don’t waste the fluids we’re dropping it through

2. A selection of fluids of differing “thickness”.  We used:

Golden Syrup

3. A container tall enough to measure the time the marble passes between two points

4. A stopwatch

5. A spoon to retrieve the marble.

Fill one container with the fluid under investigation.  Make two marks on the container to use as markers.

As you fill the containers watch how easily the liquid pours. Can you use this information to make predications about how viscous each one is?

Take the clean marble and drop it in the liquid. Observe how long it takes to fall between the lines.  Do a couple of practice runs just to get a feel for how long the marble takes.

Make a table on a piece of paper (or on a board) to record your results with a column for each fluid and space underneath to write the times the marbles take.

• To make your observations, simply drop the marble into the fluid and using the stopwatch, try to time the marble as it crosses each of the marks (i.e. start the watch as it passes the first line and stop it as it passes the second line).  After each drop, retrieve the marble and clean and dry it ready for the next run.  Do the marble drop three times for each fluid. *note, we used a magnet to retrieve the marble*

The faster times should correspond to the least viscous liquids.

Do your results match your expectations?

Last Updated on October 9, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

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June 16, 2018 at 7:24 pm

explore and compare the viscosity of various liquids

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Science project, marble race: finding viscosity of fluids.

Viscosity is a measurement of a fluid’s resistance to change or deformation, or more simply put, how thick it is. A fluid can be a gas or a liquid, and it is easy to see that liquids are thicker than gases, and therefore have higher viscosities. Of course, some liquids are more viscous than others. For example, honey is more viscous than water. Can you imagine trying to swim in a pool of honey instead of water?

Changes and deformations are caused by stress , which is a force. Viscosity is a result of friction between molecules in a fluid that are moving at different speeds. Typically, fluids move faster away from the walls of the container, and fluids move more slowly the closer they are to the wall. This is called the “no-slip” condition .

Which fluids do you think are the most viscous?

• Tall graduated cylinder
• Notebook and Pen
• Cooking oil
• Liquid glue
• Hand sanitizer
• Any other liquid you want to test!
• Fill the graduated cylinder with one of the sample liquids. Leave a couple of centimeters at the top so it does not overflow. Be sure to fill each the cylinder up to the same height each time. Why is this important?
• Hold the marble at the opening of the graduated cylinder in one hand and the stop watch in the other hand.
• Simultaneously drop the marble and start the stopwatch.
• Stop the timer when the marble touches the bottom of the cylinder.
• Record the name of the liquid you tested, the original height of the liquid, and how long it took for the marble to fall in seconds.
• Repeat the experiment 2 more times for each liquid so there is enough data to take an average. Calculate the average time.
• Calculate the average velocity of the marble through the liquid. The distance is the height of the liquid, and the time will be the average time calculated in Step 6.
• Repeat the experiment testing other liquids. How can you tell which liquids are thicker and which are thinner using the velocity?

Viscosity from greatest to least: Liquid glue, honey, hand sanitizer, glycerin, syrup, cooking oil, water.

Note: your viscosity lab might have produced some variance in this order depending on what type of each product you use. Some brands or types may be more or less viscous than others.

To compare the relative viscosities of liquids, it is easy to use the calculated velocities. Liquids in which the marble had the slowest velocity had the highest viscosity. Filling the graduated cylinder up with the same amount of liquid each time is not necessarily essential to calculating the velocity properly, but it makes calculations easier if you use the same number for each distance value.

The units of viscosity used in engineering are Pascal-seconds (Pa·s) or centipoise (cP). 1 Pascal-second is equal to 1 kilogram/(meter*second). If you want to calculate the actual viscosity of each of the liquids tested, weigh the marble in kilograms.  You can then calculate the viscosity by using the equation below:

Where  µ  is the viscosity of the liquid in Pa·s.

Friction between the molecules of a fluid resists fluid change and deformation. The weight of the marble, which is the gravitational force, also causes stress on the liquid. High viscosity fluids like honey and glue resist the changes caused by these forces the best.

Viscosity of liquids is often very temperature sensitive, with most liquids and gases becoming less viscous (thinner) as they heat up. You can imagine this with hot glue or melted chocolate. To take this experiment further, you may want to try microwaving the liquid for a short period of time to see if the marble drops through faster when the liquid is warmed.

Try to use what you’ve learned to guess which materials are more viscous than others: ketchup, chocolate syrup, blood, peanut butter, lava. Use the web to find out!

Related learning resources

Add to collection, create new collection, new collection, new collection>, sign up to start collecting.

Bookmark this to easily find it later. Then send your curated collection to your children, or put together your own custom lesson plan.

Core Practical 4: Investigating Viscosity ( Edexcel A Level Physics )

Revision note.

Core Practical 4: Investigating Viscosity of a Liquid

Aim of the experiment.

• By allowing small spherical objects of known weight to fall through a fluid until they reach terminal velocity, the viscosity of the fluid can be calculated
• Independent variable : weight of ball bearing, W s
• Dependent variable : terminal velocity, v term
• fluid being tested, 
• temperature

Equipment List

• Long measuring cylinder
• Viscous liquid to be tested (thin oil of known density or washing up liquid)
• Stand and clamp
• Rubber bands
• Steel ball bearings of different weights
• Digital scales
• Vernier calipers
• Digital stopwatch

• Weigh the balls, measure their radius using Vernier callipers and calculate their density
• Place three rubber bands around the tube. The highest should be far enough below the surface of the liquid to ensure the ball is travelling at terminal velocity when it reaches this band. The remaining two bands should be 10 – 15 cm apart so that time can be measured accurately
• If lap timing is not available, two stopwatches operated by different people should be used
• If the ball is still accelerating as it passes the markers, they need to be moved downwards until the ball has reached terminal velocity before passing the first mark
• Measure and record the distances d 1 (between the highest and middle rubber band) and d 2 between the highest and lowest bands.
• Repeat at least three times for balls of this diameter and three times for each different diameter
• Ball bearings are removed from the bottom of the tube using the magnet against the outside wall of the measuring cylinder

Table of Results:

• Terminal velocity is used in this investigation since at terminal velocity the forces in each direction are balanced
• W s = weight of the sphere
• F d = the drag force (N)
• U = upthrust (N)
• The weight of the sphere is found using volume, density and gravitational force
• v s = volume of the sphere (m 3 )
• ρ s = density of the sphere (kg m –3 )
• g = gravitational force (N kg −1 )
• Recall Stoke’s Law
• The volume of displaced fluid is the same as the volume of the sphere
• The weight of the fluid is found from volume, density and gravitational force as above
• Substitute equations 2, 3 and 4 into equation 1
• Rearrange to make viscosity the subject of the equation

Evaluating the Experiment

Systematic Errors :

• Ruler must be clamped vertically and close to the tube to avoid parallax errors in measurement
• Ball bearing must reach terminal velocity before the first marker

Random errors :

• Cylinder must have a large diameter compared to the ball bearing to avoid the possibility of turbulent flow
• Ball must fall in the centre of the tube to avoid pressure differences caused by being too close to the wall which will affect the velocity

Safety Considerations

• Measuring cylinders are not stable and should be clamped into position at the top and bottom
• Spillages will be slippery and must be cleaned up immediately
• Avoid getting fluids in the eyes

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Raining Hearts Viscosity Experiment

The  Virtual Book Club for Kids  is featuring The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond. We conducted a raining hearts viscosity experiment to go along with the book. This easy science exploration gets kids making predictions and thinking about the difference between liquids. Be sure to check out all of the love themed activities at the end of the post.  Affiliate links are included in this post.

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond

I wanted to create a science activity with the raining heart theme. Dropping hearts into different liquids fits the idea nicely.

Supplies Needed:

• Bud vases or tall glasses
• Plastic hearts
• Mineral oil

Add a different clear liquid to each vase. I filled one with water and a second with mineral oil. To the third vase, I added about three quarters water and one quarter clear soap and mixed it up. Let the three liquids settle and remove any soap bubbles from the top.

Make a prediction. Will there be a difference between the liquids? Will the hearts rain down at the same speed?

Drop hearts into each of the vases. Watch how they fall. For more accurate results, time how long the hearts take to fall. In which liquid do they fall the fastest?

Talk to your child about the difference in the liquids. Introduce the word viscosity. Viscosity is a measure of how a fluid flows. A more viscous liquid (one with a higher viscosity) is thicker and harder to flow. Use ketchup as an example. It moves out of its bottle slowly – it’s thick and viscous. Water has a low viscosity. It moves freely and easily.

Which of our liquids (water, mineral oil, or soap/water) was the most viscous? How do you know?

I did this viscosity experiment with Lily (almost 3) and Aiden (age 7). I worked more on the vocabulary and concepts with Aiden, but it was also important to let Lily be involved, too. While she dropped hearts and watched them fall, she was also forming ideas and laying a foundation for future learning.

Also check out our Raining Hearts Word Game . It’s a fun way to practice reading words while jumping around.

More Activities from the Virtual Book Club for Kids

How to Make a Simple Matching Game for Preschoolers – Mama Smiles Raining Hearts Name Craft – Still Playing School Broken Hearts Number Bonds – Rainy Day Mum Love Heart Number Line – Adventures and Play Valentine’s Counting Activity – Clare’s Little Tots Hearts Sensory Bin – The Moments at Home Easy Heart Shaped Pancakes -The Educators’ Spin On It Preschool STEM: Valentine’s Tower – Preschool Powol Packets Coding for Kids – The Day It Rained Hearts Prewriting Valentine’s Day pack – Kori at Home Throw a Love Fest | Kindness Party for Kids – Toddler Approved The Day It Rained Hearts Process Art – Artsy Momma Easy Heart Art Painting – Messy Little Monster

Also stop by the Virtual Book Club for Kids Facebook page to see what others are sharing!

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Process stores carbon dioxide in concrete without strength loss

Carbonated concrete offers potential to offset emissions from cement manufacturing

• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

Media Information

• Release Date: June 26, 2024

Media Contacts

Amanda Morris

• (847) 467-6790
• Email Amanda

Journal: Communications Materials

• Engineers develop concrete made with carbonated solution to sequester carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from atmosphere
• Approach achieved a CO 2 sequestration efficiency of up to 45%
• Resulting concrete is just as strong and durable as regular concrete
• Process is so simple that industry can implement it easily

EVANSTON, Ill. — By using a carbonated — rather than a still — water-based solution during the concrete manufacturing process, a Northwestern University-led team of engineers has discovered a new way to store carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the ubiquitous construction material.

Not only could the new process help sequester CO 2 from the ever-warming atmosphere, it also results in concrete with uncompromised strength and durability.

In laboratory experiments, the process achieved a CO 2 sequestration efficiency of up to 45%, meaning that nearly half of the CO 2 injected during concrete manufacturing was captured and stored. The researchers hope their new process could help offset CO 2 emissions from the cement and concrete industries, which are responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The study was published today (June 26) in Communications Materials, a journal published by Nature Portfolio.

“The cement and concrete industries significantly contribute to human-caused CO 2 emissions,” said Northwestern’s Alessandro Rotta Loria , who led the study. “We are trying to develop approaches that lower CO 2 emissions associated with those industries and, eventually, could turn cement and concrete into massive ‘carbon sinks.’ We are not there yet, but we now have a new method to reuse some of the CO 2 emitted as a result of concrete manufacturing in this very same material. And our solution is so simple technologically that it should be relatively easy for industry to implement.”

“More interestingly, this approach to accelerate and accentuate the carbonation of cement-based materials provides an opportunity to engineer new clinker-based products where CO 2 becomes a key ingredient,” said study coauthor Davide Zampini, vice president of global research and development at CEMEX.

Rotta Loria is the Louis Berger Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering . The study was a collaboration between Rotta Loria’s laboratory and CEMEX, a global building materials company dedicated to sustainable construction.

Limitations of previous processes

A non-negotiable part of infrastructure, concrete is one of the world’s most consumed materials — second only to water. To make concrete in its simplest form, workers combine water, fine aggregates (like sand), coarse aggregates (like gravel) and cement, which binds all the ingredients together. Since the 1970s, previous researchers have explored various ways to store CO 2 inside concrete.

“The idea is that cement already reacts with CO 2 ,” Rotta Loria explained. “That’s why concrete structures naturally absorb CO 2 . But, of course, the absorbed CO 2 is a small fraction of the CO 2 emitted from producing the cement needed to create concrete.”

Processes to store CO 2 fall into one of two categories: hardened concrete carbonation or fresh concrete carbonation. In the hardened approach, solid concrete blocks are placed into chambers where CO 2 gas is injected at high pressures. In the fresh version, workers inject CO 2 gas into the mixture of water, cement and aggregates while concrete is being produced.

In both approaches, some of the injected CO 2 reacts with the cement to become solid calcium carbonate crystals. Both techniques, however, share deal-breaking limitations. They are hindered by low CO 2 capture efficiency and high energy consumption. Even worse: The resulting concrete is often weakened, hampering its applicability.

Uncompromised strength

In Northwestern’s new approach, the researchers leveraged the fresh concrete carbonation process. But, instead of injecting CO 2 while mixing all the ingredients together, they first injected CO 2 gas into water mixed with a small amount of cement powder. After mixing this carbonated suspension with the rest of the cement and aggregates, they achieved a concrete that actually absorbed CO 2 during its manufacturing.

“The cement suspension carbonated in our approach is a much lower viscosity fluid compared to the mix of water, cement and aggregates that is customarily employed in present approaches to carbonate fresh concrete,” Rotta Loria said. “So, we can mix it very quickly and leverage a very fast kinetics of the chemical reactions that result in calcium carbonate minerals. The result is a concrete product with a significant concentration of calcium carbonate minerals compared to when CO 2 is injected into the fresh concrete mix.”

After analyzing their carbonated concrete, Rotta Loria and his colleagues found its strength rivaled the durability of regular concrete.

“A typical limitation of carbonation approaches is that strength is often affected by the chemical reactions,” he said. “But, based on our experiments, we show the strength might actually be even higher. We still need to test this further, but, at the very least, we can say that it’s uncompromised. Because the strength is unchanged, the applications also don’t change. It could be used in beams, slabs, columns, foundations — everything we currently use concrete for.”

“The findings of this research underline that although carbonation of cement-based materials is a well-known reaction, there is still room to further optimize the CO 2 uptake through better understanding of the mechanisms tied to materials processing,” Zampini said.

The study, “Storing CO 2 while strengthening concrete by carbonating its cement in suspension,” was supported by CEMEX Innovation Holding Ltd.

Multimedia Downloads

Artistic impression.

Please credit this image to Alessandro Rotta Loria/Northwestern University

Interview the Experts

Alessandro Rotta Loria

Corresponding author

Louis Berger Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

• [email protected]