DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Mechanics of Fluid Laboratory Manual

EXPERIMENT 1: DETERMINATION OF DENSITY, SPECIFIFC WEIGHT AND

SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF DIFFERENT LIQUIDS

1.1. Student Outcomes (SOs) Addressed by the Activity

a. ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
b. ability to function on multidisciplinary teams

1.2. Activity’s Intended Learning Outcomes (AILOs)

At the end of this experiment the student shall be able to:
a. Identify the materials/equipment that are essential for the determination of properties
of liquids such as density, specific weight, and specific gravity.
b. Calculate the density and other properties such as specific weight, and specific gravity
of any liquids
c. Compare the computed values to the standard density, specific weight, and specific
gravity of the any liquids

1.3. Objectives of the Activity

The objective of this activity is to:
a. Determine the density, specific weight, and specific gravity of different liquids such as
water, vinegar, oil, salt water, etc.
b. Familiarize the student with the application and computation of basic properties of
liquid

1.4. Principle of the Activity

The density ρ of a fluid is its mass per unit volume, while the specific weight ɣ is its weight per
unit volume. Specific weight ɣ represents the force exerted by gravity on a unit volume of fluid,
and therefore must have the units of force per unit volume, such as newton per cubic meter or
pounds per cubic foot. Listed below are the formula for density and specific weight.
𝑚
𝜌=
𝑣
𝑤
𝛾=
𝑣

Specific gravity SG is the ratio of the density or specific weight of a substance to the density or
specific weight of a reference substance. The reference substance is usually water. Below is the
formula of specific gravity.
𝛾𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑆𝐺 =
𝛾𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

REVISION STATUS/DATE 1/November 2017

1.5. Materials/Equipment
1 unit Graduate cylinder
1 set Liquid (water, vinegar, oil, and salt water)
1 unit Weighing balance
1 unit Meter stick or ruler
1 unit Thermometer

1.6. Procedures
1. Take the temperature of the liquid sample and record the temperature reading.
2. Weigh the empty graduated cylinder.
3. Place the liquid just enough to fill the graduated cylinder at the desired level.
4. Read and record the volume of the liquid.
5. Weigh the graduated cylinder with liquid in it.
6. Compute the mass of the water by subtracting the mass of the empty graduated
cylinder from its mass with liquid in it.
7. Compute the density of liquid by substituting the values of mass and volume. Make
the necessary conversion of units.
8. Compute also the specific weight and specific gravity of the liquid.
9. Do another exercise of determining density by changing the level of water and repeat
the abode procedure.
10. Repeat procedures 1 to 8 using another type of liquids

1.7. Activity Report

Group No.: Course:

Group Section:
Members: Activity No.:
Date Performed:
Date Submitted:
Instructor:

1.7.1. Data and Results

Table 1.1: Data of density determination of water by volumetric method
Trial Mass of Mass of Mass of Volume Density Specific Weight Specific
Empty Cylinder Liquid (mL) (kg/m3) (N/m3) Gravity
Cylinder with liquid (kg)
(kg) (kg)
1
2
3
4
5

REVISION STATUS/DATE 1/November 2017

Table 1.2: Data of density determination of vinegar by volumetric method
Trial Mass of Mass of Mass of Volume Density Specific Specific
Empty Cylinder Liquid (mL) (kg/m3) Weight Gravity
Cylinder with liquid (kg) (N/m3)
(kg) (kg)
1
2
3
4
5

Table 1.3: Data of density determination of oil by volumetric method

Trial Mass of Mass of Mass of Volume Density Specific Specific
Empty Cylinder Liquid (mL) (kg/m3) Weight Gravity
Cylinder with liquid (kg) (N/m3)
(kg) (kg)
1
2
3
4
5

Table 1.4: Data of density determination of salt water by volumetric method

Trial Mass of Mass of Mass of Volume Density Specific Specific
Empty Cylinder Liquid (mL) (kg/m3) Weight Gravity
Cylinder with liquid (kg) (N/m3)
(kg) (kg)
1
2
3
4
5

1.8. References

Franzini, J. B., & Finnemore, E. J. (2002). Fluid mechanics with engineering applications
(10th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

REVISION STATUS/DATE 1/November 2017