An ideal incompressible fluid flows at 12 m/s in a horizontal pipe. If the pipe widens to twice its original radius, what is the flow speed in the wider section?
A) 4.0 m/s
B) 6.0 m/s
C) 3.0 m/s
D) 12 m/s

Question

An ideal incompressible fluid flows at  12 m/s in a horizontal pipe. If the pipe widens to twice its original radius, what is the flow speed in the wider section?
A)  4.0 m/s
B)  6.0 m/s
C)  3.0 m/s
D)  12 m/s

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The flow speed decreases to 3.0 m/s in the wider section due to the principle of conservation of mass, which dictates that the flow rate (volume per time) must remain constant. Since the area of the wider section is four times larger (because area is proportional to the square of the radius), the flow speed must be one-fourth of the original speed, hence 12 m/s divided by 4 equals 3.0 m/s.

An Ideal Incompressible Fluid Flows at 12 M/s in a Horizontal