Determining Viscosity of a Liquid with Smartphone Sensors: A Classroom-Friendly Approach Using Damped Oscillations

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, low-cost classroom method for measuring liquid viscosity using smartphone sensors and a damped oscillation setup, validated against standard literature values.

Contribution

It presents a novel, accessible approach for viscosity measurement in educational settings leveraging smartphone accelerometers and damping analysis.

Findings

The method accurately measures viscosity close to literature values.

The approach is cost-effective and suitable for classroom use.

Validation with Tracker app confirms reliability.

Abstract

This study presents a classroom-friendly method for measuring the coefficient of viscosity of a liquid using a smartphone s accelerometer sensor. A metallic ball tied with a spring-mass system and submerged in mustard oil undergoes damped oscillations due to viscous forces. The Phyphox app is used to record the temporal variation of acceleration, from which the damping constant is calculated to determine the coefficient of viscosity of the oil. The experimentally obtained value is further validated using the Tracker app, and this value is shown to be in close agreement with the standard literature. This method provides an accurate, low-cost experiment ideal for educational settings, utilizing smartphone sensors for viscosity measurement.