Curriculum Connection
Name: ________________________ 7 C2.1
What is Viscosity?
Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. A fluid with a high viscosity will
resist flow more than a fluid with a low viscosity. For example, honey is more viscous
than water as it pours slower than water does.
A more complete definition of viscosity includes a fluid’s internal friction. In a
highly viscous fluid, the properties of the fluid create more internal friction, which
means the fluid does not flow as well. Inside honey, the particles create more friction as
they rub against each other, causing the honey to flow slowly.
Examples of fluids with high viscosities are molasses, olive oil, peanut butter, and
maple syrup. Examples of fluids with low viscosities are air, water, gasoline, and milk.
Factors Affecting Viscosity
There are four factors that affect the viscosity of fluids.
Each of the fluids mentioned above can be affected by
these factors, changing their viscosity.
1) Temperature – The viscosity of liquids decreases by
about 2% for each degree rise in temperature. This
means the higher the temperature of a liquid, the
less viscous it is. For example, hot olive oil in a pan
is much less viscous than cold olive oil. For a gas, it is the opposite. If we heat a
gas, it will become more viscous.
2) Pressure – If we increase the pressure of a fluid, we can change its viscosity.
Liquids cannot be compressed, but gases can. When we compress gases, the
increased pressure increases the viscosity of the gas.
3) Suspended Particles – A fluid with suspended particles in it will have a higher
viscosity. For example, spoiled milk has a higher viscosity than fresh milk as it has
suspended particles in it.
4) Chemical Composition – The chemical makeup of a fluid will affect its viscosity.
Fluids with large molecules flow faster, meaning they are less viscous than fluids
with small molecules.
Measuring Viscosity
We can measure the viscosity of a fluid by determining its volumetric flow rate. The
volumetric flow rate is the volume of a fluid passing a point in a system per unit time. In
other words, we are measuring the movement of a fluid through a device over time. A
fluid with a fast flow rate will have a low viscosity.
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Curriculum Connection
Name: ________________________ 8 C2.1
Questions Use information from the text to support your answer
1) What is viscosity? Name two high viscous and two low viscous fluids.
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Viscosity is the measurement of how well a fluid will flow. Fluids with a high viscosity for example, tar and honey will flow
slowly because particles inside rub on each other and create internal friction. Fluids with a low viscosity, for example water
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and apple juice will flow fast because the particles inside do not rub and create internal friction as much as tar or honey.
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2) What affects the viscosity of fluids?
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Temperature can affect the viscosity of fluids. for example, when you put oil on a pan, it moves a little slow. but after a few
minutes in the pan, the oil will have a lower viscosity than before. this works on almost all fluids except gasoline which
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increases in viscosity when heated.
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Have you ever heated a liquid and noticed it becomes less
Making Connections
viscous? Explain
Yes i have noticed that whenever my mother is making food on the stove, after a few minutes the oil on the pans is much
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less thick then it was before.
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True or False Circle whether the statement is true or false
1) As the temperature of a gas increases, its viscosity decreases True False
2) A highly viscous fluid will flow faster than a low viscous fluid True False
3) There is more internal friction in low viscous fluids True False
4) We measure viscosity by determining the flow rate of a fluid True False
5) Molasses has a low viscosity True False
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