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NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Physics Chapter 10 Mechanical Properties Of Fluids

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Physics Chapter 10 Mechanical Properties Of Fluids

Edited By Vishal kumar | Updated on Mar 24, 2025 06:04 PM IST

Have you ever wondered why rivers keep flowing or how the air moves around us ? It all comes down to the fact that both liquids and gases are fluids—they can flow and take the shape in the container. Whether it’s the water that we drink or the air that we breathe fluids are a crucial part of our everyday lives. In this page you will get the Mechanical Properties of Fluids Class 11 NCERT Solutions.

Fluids unlike solids do not have a fixed shape but can flow and take the shape of their container. While solids and liquids have a fixed volume gases expand to fill the entire space available. The compressibility of gases is much higher than that of solids and liquids making them more responsive to pressure changes. Fluids offer very small resistance to shear stress, which allows them to flow easily. To understand these concepts in-depth please refer this page Mechanical Properties of Fluids Class 11 NCERT Solutions, which provide step-by-step explanations from Class 11 Physics NCERT Chapter 9 Solutions to help students grasp key concepts better.

This Story also Contains
  1. NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Physics Chapter 9 Mechanical Properties of Fluids
  2. Mechanical properties of fluids class 11 NCERT solutions - Exercise
  3. Mechanical Properties Of Fluids class 11 NCERT Solutions: Concepts and Important Formula
  4. NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Subject wise

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NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Physics Chapter 9 Mechanical Properties of Fluids

NCERT Class 11 Physics Chapter 10 Exercise Solutions PDF download for free.

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Mechanical properties of fluids class 11 NCERT solutions - Exercise

Q 9.1 (a) Explain why

The blood pressure in humans is greater at the fe et than at the brain

Answer:

The pressure in a fluid column increases with the height of the column, as the height of the blood column is more than that for the brain the blood pressure in feet is more than the blood pressure in the brain.

Q 9.1 (b) Explain why

Atmospheric pressure at a height of about 6 km decreases to nearly half of its value at the sea level, though the height of the atmosphere is more than 100 km

Answer:

This is because the air density does not remain the same in the atmosphere. It decreases exponentially as height increases.

Q 9.1 (c) Explain why

Hydrostatic pressure is a scalar quantity even though pressure is force divided by area.

Answer:

When a force is applied on fluid the pressure which gets generated gets uniformly transmitted to all directions and therefore has no particular direction and is a scalar quantity. We talk of division of force with area only while considering the magnitudes. The actual vector form of the relation is F=pA

Q 9.2 (a) Explain why

(a) The angle of contact of mercury with glass is obtuse, while that of water with glass is acute.

Answer:

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T SL = Surface tension corresponding to the solid-liquid layer

T LA = Surface tension corresponding to liquid-air layer

T SA = Surface tension corresponding to solid-air layer

The angle of contact is Θ

Since the liquid is not flowing over the solid surface the components of T SL , T LA and T SA along the solid surface must cancel out each other.

TSL+TLAcosΘ=TSAcosΘ=TSATSLTLA

In case of mercury T SA < T SL and therefore cosΘ<0 and therefore Θ>π2 i.e the angle of contact of mercury with glass is obtuse.

Q 9.2 (b) Explain why

(b) Water on a clean glass surface tends to spread out while mercury on the same surface tends to form drops. (Put differently, water wets glass while mercury does not.)

Answer:

Cohesive forces between water molecules is much lesser than adhesive forces between water and glass molecules and that's why water tends to spread out on glass whereas cohesive forces within mercury is comparable to adhesive forces between mercury and glass and that's why mercury tends to form drops.

Q 9.2 (c) Explain why

(c) Surface tension of a liquid is independent of the area of the surface

Answer:

Surface tension is the force acting per unit length at the interface of a liquid and another surface. Since this force itself is independent of area, the surface tension is also independent of area.

Q 9.2 (d) Explain why

(d) Water with detergent dissolved in it should have small angles of contact.

Answer:

As we know detergent with water rises very fast in capillaries of clothes which is only possible when cosine of the angle of contact is the large i.e. angle of contact must be small.

Q 9.2 (e) Explain why

(e) A drop of liquid under no external forces is always spherical in shape

Answer:

While in a spherical shape the surface area of the drop of liquid will be minimum and thus the surface energy would be minimum. A system always tends to be in a state of minimum energy and that's why in the absence of external forces a drop of liquid is always spherical in shape.

Q 9.3 Fill in the blanks using the word(s) from the list appended with each statement:

(a) Surface tension of liquids generally ... with temperatures (increases / decreases)

(b) Viscosity of gases ... with temperature, whereas viscosity of liquids ... with temperature (increases / decreases)

(c) For solids with elastic modulus of rigidity, the shearing force is proportional to ... , while for fluids it is proportional to ... (shear strain / rate of shear strain)

(d) For a fluid in a steady flow, the increase in flow speed at a constriction follows (conservation of mass / Bernoulli’s principle)

(e) For the model of a plane in a wind tunnel, turbulence occurs at a ... speed for turbulence for an actual plane (greater / smaller)

Answer:

(a) The surface tension of liquids generally decreases with temperatures.

(b) The viscosity of gases increases with temperature, whereas the viscosity of liquids decreases with temperature.

(c) For solids with elastic modulus of rigidity, the shearing force is proportional to shear strain , while for fluids it is proportional to the rate of shear strain .

(d) For a fluid in a steady flow, the increase in flow speed at a constriction follows from conservation of mass while the decrease of pressure there follows from Bernoulli’s principle .

(e) For the model of a plane in a wind tunnel, turbulence occurs at a greater speed for turbulence for an actual plane.

Q 9.4 (a) Explain why

(a) To keep a piece of paper horizontal, you should blow over, not under, it

Answer:

As per Bernoulli's principle when we blow over a piece of paper the pressure there decreases while the pressure under the piece of the paper remains the same and that's why it remains horizontal.

Q 9.4 (b) Explain why

(b) When we try to close a water tap with our fingers, fast jets of water gush through the openings between our fingers

Answer:

This is because when we cover the tap there are very small gaps remaining for the water to escape and it comes out at very high velocity in accordance with the equation of continuity.

Q 9.4 (c) Explain why

(c) The size of the needle of a syringe controls flow rate better than the thumb pressure exerted by a doctor while administering an injection

Answer:

Because of the extremely small size of the opening of a needle, its size can control the flow with more precision than the thumbs of a doctor.

According to the equation of continuity area * velocity= constant. if the area is very small the velocity must be large. Thus if the area is small flow becomes smooth

Q 9.4 (d) Explain why

(d) A fluid flowing out of a small hole in a vessel results in a backward thrust on the vessel

Answer:

Through a small area, velocity will be large. A fluid flowing out of a small hole in a vessel results in a backward thrust on the vessel in accordance with the law of conservation of linear momentum.

Q 9.4 (e) Explain why

(e) A spinning cricket ball in air does not follow a parabolic trajectory

Answer:

The ball while travelling rotates about its axis as well causing a difference in air velocities at different points around it thus creating pressure difference which results in external forces. In the absence of air, a ball would have travelled along the expected parabolic path.

Q 9.5 A 50 kg girl wearing high heel shoes balances on a single heel. The heel is circular with a diameter 1.0 cm. What is the pressure exerted by the heel on the horizontal floor?

Answer:

Mass of the girl m = 50 kg.

Gravitational acceleration g = 9.8 m s -2

Weight of the girl (W) , mg = 490 N

Pressure=ForceArea=490π(1×1022)2=6.24×106Pa

Q 9.6 Torricelli's barometer used mercury. Pascal duplicated it using French wine of density 984 kg m -3 . Determine the height of the wine column for normal atmospheric pressure.

Answer:

Atmospheric pressure is P=1.01×105Pa

The density of French wine ρw=984 kg m3

Height of the wine column h w would be

hw=Pρwghw=1.01×105984×9.8hw=10.474m

Q 9.7 A vertical off-shore structure is built to withstand a maximum stress of 109 Pa. Is the structure suitable for putting up on top of an oil well in the ocean? Take the depth of the ocean to be roughly 3 km, and ignore ocean currents.

Answer:

The density of water is ρw=1000 kg m3

Depth of the ocean is 3 km

The pressure at the bottom of the ocean would be

P=ρwghP=1000×9.8×3×1000P=2.94×107Pa

The above value is much lesser than the maximum stress the structure can withstand and therefore it is suitable for putting up on top of an oil well in the ocean.

Q 9.8 A hydraulic automobile lift is designed to lift cars with a maximum mass of 3000 kg. The area of cross-section of the piston carrying the load is 425 cm 2 . What maximum pressure would the smaller piston have to bear?

Answer:

Maximum Pressure which the piston would have to bear is

Pmax=Maximum weight of a carArea of the piston=3000×9.8425×104=6.917×105Pa

Q 9.9 A U-tube contains water and methylated spirit separated by mercury. The mercury columns in the two arms are in level with 10.0 cm of water in one arm and 12.5 cm of spirit in the other. What is the specific gravity of spirit?

Answer:

Since the mercury columns in the two arms are equal the pressure exerted by the water and the spirit column must be the same.

hwρwg=hsρsgρsρw=hwhsρsρw=1012.5ρsρw=0.8

Therefore the specific gravity of spirit is 0.8.

Q 9.10 In the previous problem, if 15.0 cm of water and spirit each are further poured into the respective arms of the tube, what is the difference in the levels of mercury in the two arms? (Specific gravity of mercury = 13.6)

Answer:

Let the difference in the levels of mercury in the two arms be h Hg

(ρwρs)gh=ρHgghHg(1ρsρw)h=ρHgρwhHg(10.8)×15=13.68hHghHg=0.2×1513.6hHg=0.22cm

Q 9.11 Can Bernoulli’s equation be used to describe the flow of water through a rapid in a river? Explain.

Answer:

No. Bernoulli's equation can be used only to describe streamline flow and the flow of water in a river is turbulent.

Q 9.12 Does it matter if one uses gauge instead of absolute pressures in applying Bernoulli’s equation? Explain

Answer:

No, unless the atmospheric pressures at the two points where Bernoulli’s equation is applied are significantly different.

Q 9.13 Glycerine flows steadily through a horizontal tube of length 1.5 m and radius 1.0 cm. If the amount of glycerine collected per second at one end is 4.0 × 10 -3 kg s -1 , what is the pressure difference between the two ends of the tube ? (Density of glycerine = 1.3 × 103 kg m -3 and viscosity of glycerine = 0.83 Pa s). [You may also like to check if the assumption of laminar flow in the tube is correct].

Answer:

The volumetric flow rate of glycerine flow would be given by

V=Amount of glycerine flow per second Density of glycerineV=MρV=4×1031.3×103V=3.08×106ms1

The viscosity of glycerine is η=0.83 Pa s

Assuming Laminar flow for a tube of radius r, length l, having pressure difference P across its ends a fluid with viscosity η would flow through it with a volumetric rate of

V=πPr48ηlP=8Vηlπr4P=8×3.08×106×0.83π×(102)4P=9.75×102 Pa

Reynolds number is given by

R=4ρVπdηR=2ρVπrηR=2×1.3×103×3.08×106π×0.01×0.83R0.3

Since Reynolds Number is coming out to be 0.3 our Assumption of laminar flow was correct.

Q 9.14 In a test experiment on a model aeroplane in a wind tunnel, the flow speeds on the upper and lower surfaces of the wing are 70 m s -1 and 63 ms -1 respectively. What is the lift on the wing if its area is 2.5 m 2 ? Take the density of air to be 1.3 kg m -3

Answer:

The speed of air above and below the wings are given to be v 1 = 70 m s -1 and v 2 = 63 m s -1 respectively.

Let the pressure above and below the wings be p 1 and p 2 and let the model aeroplane be flying at a height h from the ground.

Applying Bernoulli's Principle on two points above and below the wings we get

P1+ρgh+12ρv12=P2+ρgh+12ρv22P2P1=12ρ(v12v22)ΔP=12×1.3×(702632)ΔP=605.15 Pa

The pressure difference between the regions below and above the wing is 605.15 Pa

The lift on the wing is F

F=ΔP×Area of wingF=605.15×2.5F=1512.875 N

Q 9.15 Figures (a) and (b) refer to the steady flow of a (non-viscous) liquid. Which of the two figures is incorrect? Why?

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Answer:

By the continuity equation, the velocity of the non-viscous liquid will be large at the kink than at the rest of the tube and therefore pressure would be lesser here by Bernoulli's principle and the air column above it, therefore, should be of lesser height. Figure (a) is therefore incorrect.

Q 9.16 The cylindrical tube of a spray pump has a cross-section of 8.0 cm 2 one end of which has 40 fine holes each of diameter 1.0 mm. If the liquid flow inside the tube is 1.5 m min -1 , what is the speed of ejection of the liquid through the holes?

Answer:

Cross-sectional area of cylindrical tube is a 1 = 8.0 cm 2

The total area of the 40 fine holes is a 2

a2=40π(d24)a2=40×π×(103)24a2=3.143×105m2

Speed of liquid inside the tube is v 1 = 1.5 m min -1

Let the speed of ejection of fluid through the holes be v 2

Using the continuity equation

a1v1=a2v2v2=a1v1a2v2=8×104×1.560×3.143×105v2=0.636 m s1

Q 9.17 A U-shaped wire is dipped in a soap solution, and removed. The thin soap film formed between the wire and the light slider supports a weight of 1.5 × 10 -2 N (which includes the small weight of the slider). The length of the slider is 30 cm. What is the surface tension of the film?

Answer:

Total weight supported by the film W=1.5×102 N

Since a soap film has two surfaces, the total length of the liquid film is 60 cm.

Surface Tension is T

T=WlT=1.5×10260×102T=2.5×102 N m1

Q 9.18 Figure (a) shows a thin liquid film supporting a small weight = 4.5 × 10 -2 N. What is the weight supported by a film of the same liquid at the same temperature in Fig. (b) and (c) ? Explain your answer physically.

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Answer:

As the liquid and the temperature is the same in all three the surface tension will also be the same. Since the length is also given to be equal (40 cm) in all three cases the weight being supported is also the same and equal to 4.5×102 N .

Q 9.19 What is the pressure inside the drop of mercury of radius 3.00 mm at room temperature? Surface tension of mercury at that temperature (20 °C) is 4.65 × 10 -1 N m -1 . The atmospheric pressure is 1.01 × 10 5 Pa. Also give the excess pressure inside the drop.

Answer:

Surface Tension of Mercury is T=4.65×101 N m1

The radius of the drop of Mercury is r = 3.00 mm

Excess pressure inside the Mercury drop is given by

ΔP=2TrΔP=2×4.65×1013×103ΔP=310 Pa

Atmospheric Pressure is P0=1.01×105 Pa

Total Pressure inside the Mercury drop is given by

PT=ΔP+P0PT=310+1.01×105PT=1.0131×105

Q 9.20 What is the excess pressure inside a bubble of soap solution of radius 5.00 mm, given that the surface tension of soap solution at the temperature (20 °C) is 2.50 × 10 -2 N m -1 ? If an air bubble of the same dimension were formed at depth of 40.0 cm inside a container containing the soap solution of relative density 1.20), what would be the pressure inside the bubble? (1 atmospheric pressure is 1.01 × 10 5 Pa).

Answer:

Excess pressure inside a bubble is given by

ΔP=4Tr (It's double the usual value because of the presence of 2 layers in case of soap bubble)

where T is surface tension and r is the radius of the bubble

ΔP=4×2.5×1025×103ΔP=20 Pa

Atmospheric Pressure is Pa=1.01×105 Pa

The density of soap solution is ρs=1.2×103 kg m3

The pressure at a depth of 40 cm (h) in the soap solution is

Ps=Pa+ρsghPs=1.01×105+1.2×103×9.8×40×102Ps=1.01×105+4704Ps=1.057×105 Pa

Total Pressure inside an air bubble at that depth

Pt=Ps+2TrPt=1.057×105+2×2.5×1025×103Pt=1.057×105+10Pt=1.0571×105 Pa

Mechanical Properties Of Fluids class 11 NCERT Solutions: Concepts and Important Formula

9.1 Introduction

Fluids (liquids and gases) can flow and take the shape of their container. They have properties like pressure, viscosity, and surface tension that determine their behavior.

9.2 Pressure

Pressure is the force exerted per unit area by a fluid. It increases with depth in a liquid.
Formula:

P=FAP=P0+ρgh

where P0 is atmospheric pressure, ρ is fluid density, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is depth.

9.3 Streamline Flow

In streamline (or laminar) flow, fluid particles move in parallel layers without mixing. The velocity at a given point remains constant over time.

9.4 Bernoulli's Principle

Bernoulli's theorem states that for an ideal fluid in steady flow, the sum of pressure energy, kinetic energy, and potential energy per unit volume remains constant.
Formula:

P+12ρv2+ρgh= constant 


This principle explains lift in airplanes and flow in pipes.

9.5 Viscosity

Viscosity is the internal resistance of a fluid to flow. It determines how easily a fluid moves.
Stoke's Law:

F=6πηrv

where η is the coefficient of viscosity, r is the radius of the sphere, and v is velocity.

9.6 Surface Tension

Surface tension is the force per unit length acting along the surface of a liquid due to cohesive forces. Formula:

T=FL

Benefits of NCERT solutions for class 11 physics chapter 9 mechanical properties of fluids:

  • If we are familiar with the CBSE NCERT solutions for Class 11 Physics chapter 9 Mechanical Properties of Fluids then it is very easy to solve problems from other reference books too.
  • The solutions of NCERT solutions for Class 11 will help to score well in the Class 11 final exam and in competitive exams like JEE Main and NEET also.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Physics Chapter Wise

Chapter 1

Units and Measurement

Chapter 2

Motion in a straight line

Chapter 3

Motion in a Plane

Chapter 4

Laws of Motion

Chapter 5

Work, Energy and Power

Chapter 6

System of Particles and Rotational motion

Chapter 7

Gravitation

Chapter 8

Mechanical Properties of Solids

Chapter 9

Mechanical Properties of Fluids

Chapter 10

Thermal Properties of Matter

Chapter 11

Thermodynamics

Chapter 12

Kinetic Theory

Chapter 13

Oscillations

Chapter 14

Waves

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Subject wise

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the difference between solids, liquids, and gases in terms of fluid mechanics?

Solids have a fixed shape and volume, while fluids (liquids and gases) can flow and take the shape of their container. Gases, unlike liquids, can expand to fill any available space.

2. What is Bernoulli’s principle and its applications?

Bernoulli’s principle states that an increase in fluid speed leads to a decrease in pressure or potential energy. It is used in aerodynamics, carburettors, and medical applications like blood flow analysis.

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0.34\; J

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0.16\; J

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1.00\; J

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0.67\; J

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2.45×10−3 kg

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12.89×10−3 kg

 

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2\times 10^{5}J-3\times 10^{5}J

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20,000 \, \, J - 50,000 \, \, J

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K/2\,

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zero\;

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0.02

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6.023 × 1022

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