Viscosity of Oil Lab

- 5 tubes per group ~ 3 students per group

This viscosity tube set consists of 5 transparent plastic tubes containing oils of five different viscosities. A faster chrome ball and a slower Teflon ball in each tube travel at a constant speed that is dependent on the viscosity of the oil, the angle of the tube, and to some extent the temperature. The color coded caps identify the type of oil. Two O-rings may be slid to pre-determined locations on the tubes to aid in the timing of the balls motion. A stopwatch and a magnet are also included. Students run the experiment and graph the data. Three of the viscosities are given and they use the process of interpolation and extrapolation to discover the viscosities of the unknowns.