Pumps, plumbing, and weird water

One of the earliest things humanity automated was the moving of liquids—irrigation, draining mines, and removal of waste. From five-thousand years ago to today, we take a look at pumps, plumbing, and some of the weirdness of water.

Here’s a video of exploding water moving a weight.

Water arc explosion lifting a 17 gram weight

Here are a couple of blog posts from people who write about experimenting with electrically exploding water.

Water Arc Explosion Experiment

Energy from Water? Precision Calorimetry of Water Arc Explosions

Here’s an article about some of the history of plumbing.

27 Historical Events that Shaped Modern Plumbing Systems

Here’s a video about how the plumbing in your home works.

How Your Home Plumbing Works (From Start to Finish)

Here’s a video on how a toilet works.

How does a Toilet Work?

Here’s a video on siphons, that describes the standard, air pressure based theory of their operation.

The Siphon

Here’s a video on a siphon working in a partial vacuum, using regular water.

automatic siphon, NO SUCKING works in a vacuum

And here’s a siphon working in a vacuum with a magic nonevaporating liquid.

Siphon in a Vacuum