Physics Implementation Lab

Grade 11
Prepared for: Caribbean Examination Council (CXC)
Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC)
Presented to: Teacher Sheree Asher

Group Members:

 Mykayla Linsday
 D’Jani Thompson
 Triston McDermott
 Paris Lewis
 Gabriel Hartley

Table of Contents

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A: The Proposal (Planning and Design)..........................................................................................3
B: The Implementation (Analysis And Interpretation)....................................................................6

A: The Proposal (Planning and Design)

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Experiment #:
Date:
Topic: Pressure
Skill: Planning and Designing

Problem Statement: You may have noticed that when you swim under water the deeper you,
the greater the pressure on your ears, you’ve also probably seen how deep sea divers must
protect themselves against the water pressure of great depths. Plan and design an experiment
using a non degradable material to test if pressure increases with depth.

Hypothesis: Pressure in fluids increase with depth.

Aim: To determine the effect of depth on the pressure in fluids.

Apparatus/ material: meter ruler, 1 gallon bottle with cap, Permanent marker, “3” inch nail,
with sharp point, Duct tape, table, Water, plastic container

Method:

1. Use the ruler and marker to mark a point Three inches from the bottom of the bottle.

2. Mark a second point directly above the first, about six inches from the bottom of the
bottle and third point nine inches from the bottom of the bottle.

3. Close the bottle with a cap and lay it horizontally on the table.

4. Use the nail to poke holes through each of the marked points.

5. Use separate cuts of duct tape and cover the holes.

6. Fill the bottle to the top with water, and set the bottle on a table outside, with the holes
facing in to the plastic container.

7. Place the ruler under the bottle pointing in the direction where the holes are facing, then
remove the tape from the first hole and measure the distance by which the water travelled
from the bottle. Repeat for the second and third holes.

8. Observe and record results as shown in table below.

Variables:
Controlled: Size of the holes

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Responding: The distance where the water migrated from the bottle.

Manipulated: Position of holes on the bottle. (Distance from the bottom of bottle)

Treatment of Results:
Table Showing: The location of holes and distance travelled by water in meters

Hole Location Distance of 1st Distance 2nd Distance 3rd Distance Average
Holes / inches travelled by travelled by travelled by Distance
water / m water / m water / m travelled by
water /m
Bottom 3
Middle 6
Top 9

Expected Results

Water will flow out of all holes, but it will blast out further and more vigorously from the bottom
hole (3 inches from the bottom), thereby migrating the greatest distance. Water from the third
hole (9 inches from the bottom) would migrate the shortest distance since the pressure at the top
is massively diminished. Water from the second hole (6 inches from the bottom) will flow at a
moderate speed and a longer distance than water from the first hole.

Since it has more weight bearing down on it, the water coming out of the bottom hole is under
more pressure than the water coming out of the top hole. As a result, it launches itself out of the
hole with greater intensity.

Source of Error:

 When judging and documenting the exact distance (using the meter rule) at which the
water migrated from each cavity, a potential human error might occur.

Limitation:

 Since the bottle had to be pierced with holes several times, the true pressure
measurements would have been different than if three similar bottles had been used.

Assumption:

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  The pressure throughout the liquid increases with depth thereby enabling accurate results
(distance measurements) to be obtained by using the procedure stated above.

Precaution:

 It was ensured that the holes are properly secured with tape otherwise this may affect the
pressure exerted at the other holes.
 Experiment was carried out in triplicates so that an average distance could be obtained,
hence improving the accuracy of the results.

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 B: The Implementation (Analysis and Interpretation)

Method:

1. The ruler and marker was used to mark a point three inches from the bottom of the bottle.
2. A second point was marked directly above the first, six inches from the bottom of the
bottle and a third point, nine inches from the bottom of the bottle.
3. The bottle was closed with a cap and was laid horizontally on the table.
4. The nail was used to poke holes through the bottle at each of the marked points.
5. Separate cuts of duct tape was used to cover the holes.
6. The bottle was filled to the top with water, and the bottle was placed on a table with the
holes facing into the plastic container.
7. The ruler was placed under the bottle pointing in the direction where the holes are facing,
the tape was removed from the first hole and the distance by which the water travelled from the
bottle was measured. This was repeated for the second and third holes.
8. The results were observed and recorded as shown in the table below.

Results:

Table Showing: The location of holes and distance travelled by water in meters

Location of Distance of 1st Distance 2nd Distance 3rd Distance Average

Holes Holes / inches travelled by travelled by travelled by Distance/m
water / m water / m water / m
Bottom 3 12 20 17 16.33
Middle 6 8.5 16 15 13.17
Bottom 9 4 7 9 6.67

Pe x (pressure of the fluid) = h(height)*g(gravity)*p(density) + Patm

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For example:

Calculating Pressure at Bottom Hole

Pressure = 16.33m*10 m/s2*1000 kg/m3 + 101,325 Pa

= 264,625 Pa

Discussion – Explanations/Interpretations/Trends

The amount of force acting on an area/pushing against something is referred to as pressure.

Pressure is determined by the relationship: Pressure = Force Area, which takes into account both
the force and the area.

Pressure in fluids - fluids exert pressure on the material they are in contact with.

The pressure of a fluid is determined by its density and its depth below the surface.

The greater the depth, the higher the pressure

The shallower the depth, the lower the pressure

Pe x (pressure of the fluid) = h(height)*g(gravity)*p(density) + Patm (atmospheric pressure)
The pressure in a liquid can be used to transmit force because of some of the following liquid
particles:
1.) Liquids act equally in all directions.
2.) Liquid pressure are incompressible
3.) Changes in liquid pressure are transmitted instantaneously and uniformly to all areas of a
liquid.

In this experiment it was observed that water streamed out all holes but gushed out further and
more forcefully from the bottom hole (3 inches from the bottom) hence migrating the furthest
distance. Water from the third hole (9 inches from the bottom) was migrated the shortest distance
as the pressure at the top is significantly reduced. Water from the second hole (6 inches from the
bottom) migrated at a moderate speed and distance.
Why? -> The water coming out of the bottom hole was under greater pressure than the water
coming out of the top hole, because it has more weight acting on it. Therefore, it exits the hole
with more intensity.

Limitations

 Having to keep piercing holes in the bottle 3 times, the true pressure measurements
would have differed than if 3 of the same bottles were used.

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Precaution:

 Experiment was carried out in triplicates so that an average distance could be obtained,
hence improving the accuracy of the results.

Source of Error

 Holes may not have been the same size which could affect results.

Reflection

From conducting this experiment, we learnt that the pressure of water increases with depth,
which explained why the water coming from the third hole (that was positioned near the bottom
of the bottle) travelled farther than the other two holes. With this knowledge, divers are now able
to wear adequate gears that can help them move easily underwater, and they would also know
what depth of the water to go. Knowledge in this area, make submarine drivers aware of the
precautions to take when they go diving. Using the necessary navigation system, the maximum
depth at which a submarine may venture safely (without the vessel imploding) can be
determined; since beyond a certain depth the pressure is too great for the submarine to withstand.

Water pressure is used to move water through the pipes of our homes, businesses and public
spaces. This means that the rate at which water flows from a tap depends on the pressure the
water is under. In reservoirs the weight of the water provides pressure and forces the water to go
down into the pipes lower down. If it wasn’t for water pressure, we would not be able to take a
bath or wash our clothes effectively because water would not be able to travel through pipes.

This experiment is relevant because it investigates how water pressure works which is helpful to
plumbers who need to ensure that water can flow properly and sustainably through all mediums.
Water pressure is also utilized by dentist who use water flossers that cleans the teeth through a
combination of water pressure and pulsations, which removes plaque from teeth.

We learnt that pressure does in fact increase with depth underwater. The deeper a diver goes
under the ocean, the greater the pressure acting on you, this is why our ears tend to ache at a
certain depth.

This lab was useful to us because it helped us to understand in depth why pressure increases with
depth. As you go deeper into a body of water, there is more water above, and therefore a greater
weight pushing down. This explains why water would sprout out the farthest from the lowest
hole.

Several adjustments were made during the experiment to receive the most accurate results.
Adjustments such as; when the distance of the water was being measured, it was ensured that the
other holes were secured with tape so no water was being lost other than where it was being
measured. To improve the accuracy of the results, the measurements of the distance that the

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water travelled from each hole was repeated three times to obtain an average.

Prior to carrying out this experiment, we assumed that water would come out the furthest from
the top hole but after carrying out the experiment along with theory in class we now know that
the deeper the depth of a water body, the greater the pressure is.

Conclusion:
It was concluded that pressure in fluids is directly proportional to depth.

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