Quick Answer: The Viscosity Tube Model STEM Lab is a fluid mechanics apparatus with several vertical acrylic tubes holding liquids of different viscosity, in which a dropped sphere is timed as it falls at terminal velocity. Each tube carries millimetre markings.
Last updated: October 2026
Key Features
Several vertical, transparent acrylic tubes side by side
Linear millimetre markings on each tube
Tubes sealed with silicone caps
Test spheres of different diameters and densities
Weighted non-slip ABS base with levelling screws
Technical Specifications
Specification
Value
Tubes
Multiple vertical acrylic tubes
Markings
Linear mm markings on each tube
Seals
Silicone caps
Test spheres
Varying diameters and densities
Base
Weighted ABS, levelling screws
About This Product
After levelling the base so the tubes are plumb, students drop a sphere of known radius into a tube and time it between two markings in the lower half, where its speed has become steady. Repeating the drop in each liquid shows how viscous drag, buoyancy and gravity balance at terminal velocity and lets the class compare the viscosity of the fluids. Educational Instrument can dispatch the Viscosity Tube Model STEM Lab to laboratories in Gambia, Jamaica, Australia, Brazil and Vanuatu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should the fall of the sphere be timed in the Viscosity Tube Model STEM Lab?
Between two markings in the lower half of the tube, where the sphere has reached a steady terminal velocity.
