A Pythagorean, or “greedy” cup, is one that automatically drains itself once filled to a certain level. In other words, it’s a self-starting siphon – one that triggers only at Keep reading
Tag: hydrostatic pressure
Why Aren’t Trees Taller?
Trees are incredible organisms, with some species capable of growing more than 100 meters in height. But how do trees get so big and why don’t they grow even taller? Keep reading
How Water Towers Work
You may have noticed a water tower rising up over your town, but you may not have given much thought to how it works. Practical Engineering has a nice video Keep reading
Under Pressure, Part 2
Our adventures with pressure continue after the trip to the aquarium. To see just how much pressure we could generate with height, A.J. and I teamed up with the Corvallis Keep reading
Under Pressure
Pressure is a concept that can be unintuitive, but it’s incredibly important in physics and engineering. So I’m excited to debut a collaborative video series that @mostlyenginerd and I are producing Keep reading
Jumping Larvae
Gall midge larvae, despite their lack of legs, are prodigious jumpers. These worm-like creatures use hydrostatic pressure to jump more than 30 body lengths. To do so, the larva curls Keep reading
Reader Question: Submarines
Reader elimik asks: Why do modern submarines have round bows instead of pointy ones, like the early WWII ones? Interestingly, there are more factors that affect this design choice than Keep reading