On swings, the higher the faster you go. On roller coasters: the higher the first climb, the more thrill. Syphons (or siphons) are roller coasters for water. (It sounds like SIGH-funs.)
What to do: From a filled bucket on an outside table, drape the syphon tube in the bucket as shown. A small brick or rock on the end in the bucket keeps the "inside" end in the water. Have someone show you how to start the water flowing through the syphon.
Lessons learned: physics is phun, counting, big words, observation, a basic law of the universe - energy goes downhill.
| Hold the outside end as far down as it will go - maybe take it down a few porch steps. See how fast the water comes out. Next, slowly lift the flowing end higher and see the water flow slower. It stops if you lift the end higher than the surface of the water that's in the bucket. As shown, you can measure exactly how fast the water flows by counting how many cupfuls you get in a minute at various levels. Why do you think that the water flows faster when the mouth of the tube is lowest?
Simple but very "heavy" science!
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