Terminal Velocity VideoLab

In this experiment you investigate the motion of several ball bearings as they fall in glycerin. The object is to examine the motion and to find the viscosity of the fluid. You are provided with a variety of steel ball bearings ranging in radius from 0.79 mm to 1.98 mm. The bearings are released into the center of the cylinder of glycerin using plastic tweezers. The value for the coefficient of viscosity of glycerin is approximately 1 N-s/m2 (at 20°C),

Run the movie to observe the motion for one of the spheres. Click on the radius below to go to the lab.You will need the y versus t data. Paste the data into a spreadsheet to analyse the motion.

What can you say about the motion of the bearings and the viscosity of glycerine?

 

Theory: