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The Physics Teacher -- February 2011 -- Volume 49, Issue 2, pp. 78

Siphons, Revisited

Alex Richert and P. ‐M. Binder

University of Hawaii at Hilo

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The siphon is a very useful example of early technology, the operation of which has long been well understood. A recent article1 makes the claim that established beliefs regarding this device are incorrect and proposes a “chain model” in which intermolecular forces within the fluid play a large role while atmospheric pressure does not. We have carefully tested, and disproved, this claim using four simple experiments employing inexpensive, easily available apparatus. We complement the experiments with a discussion of conceptual issues related to the device and by invoking earlier studies and observations.2–8 Our findings fully support an explanation based on Bernoulli's equation in which both gravity and pressure play important roles, but intermolecular forces do not.

© 2011 American Association of Physics Teachers

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

physics education, student experiments

PACS

  • 01.50.My

    Demonstration experiments and apparatus

History
Online Jan 2011

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0031-921X (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Association of Physics Teachers

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.3543576

  1. S. W. Hughes, “A practical example of a siphon at work,” Phys. Educ. 45, 162–166 (March 2010).
  2. A. Potter and F. H. Barnes, “The siphon,” Phys. Educ. 6, 362–366 (Sept. 1971).
  3. T. B. Greenslade, Jr., “A potpourri of siphons,” Phys. Teach. 15, 425–426 (Oct. 1977).
  4. E. J. Ansaldo, “On Bernoulli, Torricelli and the syphon,” Phys. Teach. 20, 243–244 (April 1982).
  5. R. D. Edge, “A siphon demonstration,” Phys. Teach. 26, 114 (Feb. 1988).
  6. R. E. Benenson, “The hyphenated siphon,” Phys. Teach. 29, 188 (March 1991).
  7. M. Gardner, “Mysterious siphon,” Phys. Teach. 39, 561 (Dec. 2001).
  8. S. Ganci and V. Yegorenkov, “Historical and pedagogical aspects of a humble instrument,” Eur. J. Phys. 29, 421–430 (2008).
  9. G. Planinšič and J. Sliško, “The pulley analogy does not work for every siphon,” Phys. Educ. 45, 356–361 (July 2010).


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