Physical Science - Fluid Mechanics Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key terms, principles, units, and instruments from the Physical Science lecture on fluid mechanics.

Fluid Mechanics

The branch of mechanics that studies how fluids flow and how forces and energy are transmitted through fluids.

Fluid

Any matter that flows and assumes the shape of its container, encompassing both liquids and gases.

Pressure ($P$)

The physical force exerted perpendicular to a surface divided by the total area over which that force is applied, expressed as $P = \frac{F}{A}$.

Fluid Pressure

The property of fluids to exert force equally in all directions at any given point due to the unrigid movement of liquid and gas particles.

Pascal ($\text{Pa}$)

The SI unit of pressure, equal to one newton per square meter ($\text{N/m}^2$), named after physicist Blaise Pascal.

Hydrostatic Pressure

Water pressure produced due to depth alone.

Mercury Barometer

An instrument designed by Evangelista Torricelli in $1643$ that measures atmospheric pressure by balancing the weight of a mercury column in a sealed glass tube against surrounding air pressure.

Absolute Pressure

Pressure measured relative to a standard vacuum reference of $0$ pressure.

Aneroid Barometer

A compact pressure instrument that measures atmospheric pressure using a flexible, sealed accordion-like container filled with low-pressure gas.

Gauge Pressure

A pressure measurement that uses the local atmospheric pressure as its zero reference point.

Bourdon Tube

A rugged, C-shaped sealed tube detector that unbends as fluid pressure increases, used for pressure measurements in extreme environments.

Tsunameter

A deep-water detection device that uses a Bourdon tube sensor to measure tiny pressure variations caused by passing tsunamis and relays signals to warning stations.

Archimedes's Principle

The physical law stating that an immersed object is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Buoyant Force

The upward lifting force exerted by a fluid on an immersed or floating object.

Specific Gravity ($\text{s.g.}$)

The ratio comparing the density of a given substance to the density of water, calculated as $\text{s.g.} = \frac{\text{density of material}}{\text{density of water}}$.

Pascal's Principle

The principle stating that changes in pressure applied to a confined, incompressible fluid are transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid.

Hydraulics

The science concerning the transmission of forces and energy through liquids.

Hydraulic Machine

A mechanical device that utilizes pressurized liquid and Pascal's principle to transmit force and multiply power for heavy-duty tasks.