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7:21
Transcript
0:00
- So I dig water towers.
0:02
- Don't get me started on water towers.
0:03
- Oh really?
0:05
- Don't even.
0:06
- You like water towers too?
0:07
Or--
- I'm--
0:08
- Please, I don't wanna
feel alone in this.
0:09
(laughing)
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0:11
Please say yes.
0:12
(bright music)
0:16
- So when you talk about water towers,
0:18
- Yes.
0:19
- You have to be specific.
0:20
Because if you live in New York City,
0:21
- Right.
- Water tower
0:22
means only one thing,
and that's the vessel
0:25
that holds water on the
top of your building.
0:26
But most people I think,
when they hear water tower,
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0:30
they think of the water tower that's in
0:31
the center of their town.
0:32
- [Interviewer] That's true.
0:33
- And if you came at the
right time, in twilight,
0:36
and you're not quite fully there,
0:39
it looks like, they all almost look like
0:41
they landed from Mars.
0:42
- Right.
0:43
- Aliens comin' down.
0:44
In fact, during the broadcast
of "War of the Worlds"
0:49
there are people thinking it's real
0:50
and they were described as having these,
0:52
you know, and so people
were shooting water towers.
0:54
(whooshing)
(clinking)
0:55
- [Interviewer] Shooting water towers.
0:56
- Yeah, thinking that was
what was being described.
0:58
Anyhow, so--
1:00
- Kinda cool, actually.
1:01
(laughing)
1:03
- Water towers are interesting because
1:04
it gives you water pressure
1:07
without electricity,
provided it's full of water.
1:10
- Right.
1:11
- All right? But how do
you get the water up there?
1:12
You gotta pump it.
1:14
Water doesn't get there by itself.
1:15
- Okay, now--
1:16
- How you gonna get water
up to the top of your roof?
1:18
You gotta pump it.
1:19
That takes electricity.
1:20
So here's what happens.
1:21
You pump the water up to the tower.
1:22
Oop, now that's a blackout.
1:25
You still have water
until that tank empties.
1:28
- Right.
1:29
- Then you don't have water.
1:30
- 'Cause you have gravity.
1:31
As long as you have gravity--
1:32
- As long as you have, well,
gravity to pull the water
1:34
from--
- To pull the water from--
1:35
the tower.
- Then you have it.
1:36
- Right.
1:37
- So basically, if the
electricity goes out,
1:39
quickly fill up everything with water.
1:42
And then it'll be gone and then you could,
1:44
you don't have to be stank,
you know, the next day.
1:46
- So now here's the interesting question.
1:48
If you gotta pump the
water up to the tower,
1:50
- Right.
1:51
- Why not just pump the water straight
1:53
to the people's apartments
in the building?
1:55
- Oh, 'cause they might
not need it in that moment.
1:57
Plus, you want enough
water at any given instant
2:01
(water trickling)
2:02
to accommodate--
- To everybody.
2:03
- [Neil] If everybody
wants to take a shower,
2:04
they can do it.
2:05
- [Interviewer] Right,
because all the water is right
2:07
in this one tank.
- Right in that one thing.
2:08
But if you, therefore,
everybody would have to have
2:10
a pump, and what's the point of that?
2:12
- [Interviewer] Right.
2:13
- Right, right.
2:13
So it has that efficiency, okay?
2:15
- See, I like water towers even more now.
2:16
- Now here's another thing.
2:17
Have you ever noticed the
buckles that go around
2:20
the water tower that holds theme together?
2:21
- Yes, they're like
little metal rods that go
2:23
all the way round.
- The metal rods.
2:24
Yeah, have you ever noticed those?
2:25
- Yes I have.
2:26
- Have you ever thought about them?
2:27
- Uh, not really.
2:28
- Let's split the water tower
into three levels, right?
2:31
- Okay.
- Top, middle and bottom.
2:32
- Okay, that would be a good three.
2:34
- So you can ask, what is
the weight of the water
2:37
of that top third?
2:39
It's whatever it is, okay?
- Right.
2:41
- [Neil] Call it 500 pounds.
2:42
- [Interviewer] 500 pounds.
2:44
- [Neil] So now I put a
little buckle around that.
2:45
- [Interviewer] Right.
2:47
- [Neil] Okay? Right at that spot.
2:47
Let me go to the bottom of that.
2:51
Now what is the weight
of water at that point?
2:53
Well, it's the top part--
- It's 500,
2:55
- Plus 500
- Plus 500.
2:56
- It's 1000 pounds.
- It's 1000 pounds.
2:58
- Well if--
- Plus the 500 at the bottom
3:00
pushin' up.
- I didn't get there yet.
3:01
I didn't get there yet.
- Sorry.
3:02
- [Neil] So if one of these hoops is
3:06
the right strength to hold 500 pounds,
3:09
- [Interviewer] Right.
3:10
- [Neil] Then that one,
I need more than one hoop
3:12
to hold it down here.
3:14
- [Interviewer] Right, yeah.
3:15
- [Neil] I need two.
3:15
- [Interviewer] Right.
3:16
- [Neil] If one can hold 500
and two will hold the thousand.
3:18
Now I'm at the bottom.
3:19
(water gurgling)
3:20
I have 500 plus 500, I got 1500 pounds
3:22
pressin' down the bottom.
3:23
- [Interviewer] Right.
3:24
- [Neil] I need three of those hoops.
3:26
- [Interviewer] Gotcha.
3:26
- Okay?
3:27
Go look at the water towers
on the tops of buildings.
3:31
The hoops get closer and closer together--
3:33
- Closer and closer as
you get to the bottom.
3:34
- As you get to the bottom.
3:35
Just because of this fact,
the water gets heavy.
3:39
- Nice.
3:40
That is more than you ever
wanted to know about water.
3:42
- I know, it is, it is so too much.
3:44
(laughing)
3:45
- And it's so cool as
far as I'm concerned.
3:46
- If they're equally spaced,
the person didn't know
3:48
what they were doing and you should not
3:49
move into that building.
3:50
Because the base of the
water tower would not be
3:53
as structurally sound
as the upper portions,
3:55
and that's, you know, that's
where the stuff goes bad.
3:57
- You better have flood
insurance if that happens.
3:59
(laughing)
4:00
Wow, that is so cool.
4:01
Water towers.
- Water towers.
4:02
A little bit of physics.
4:03
- A little bit of physics.
4:04
- A little bit electricity.
4:05
- It's all happenin'.
4:06
- Oh, one last thing, one last thing.
4:07
- Oh, cool.
4:08
- If a building in Manhattan is lower than
4:10
about six stories, it
doesn't need a water tower.
4:13
- All right.
4:15
Hm, because, wait, let me guess.
4:18
Because you can get the
water to every apartment
4:21
just through the regular
pressure of a pump?
4:23
- Yes, no, it's not a pump.
4:24
- Not a pump.
4:25
- It's the height of the reservoir that's
4:27
feeding Manhattan has that
elevation above Manhattan.
4:31
- [Interviewer] Gotcha. So the pressure
4:33
is already there.
- So the water falls.
4:35
The water falls from the reservoir
4:38
into your faucet.
- Into your faucet.
4:40
- Over that height.
4:42
And you know something?
4:43
The ancient Romans knew that.
4:44
The aqueducts.
- Aqueducts were
4:45
built on that.
4:47
- Aqueducts, some of which,
4:49
pieces of which are still standing,
4:50
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
4:51
- Was a channel that fed a lake,
4:54
or whatever was their water supply,
4:56
which was at a higher elevation than Rome.
4:58
And they scoop up that water and the water
5:00
just goes down all by itself.
- By itself.
5:02
- No pump necessary.
5:03
- Boy, they don't build those aqueducts
5:05
like they used to.
5:06
- I know, and it's still standing.
5:06
- Yep.
- We got stuff
5:07
here fallin' down that built 10 years ago.
5:09
And that's up for 2000 years.
5:10
- God dag.
5:12
- That just meant the mayor
5:14
- Of Rome.
- Of Rome.
5:16
Spent too much money building it.
5:17
(laughing)
5:18
If your structures
outlive your civilization
5:20
by 2000 years?
5:21
- Yeah.
5:22
- You overbuilt.
5:23
- You probably overbuilt.
5:24
That's very funny.
5:25
All right, there you go.
5:26
Who knew there was so much to learn
5:27
about water towers?
5:28
So next time I wash my
hands, I'm gonna remember
5:30
how far that water had to travel
5:31
into my building.
5:32
Yes, right.
5:33
By the way, I never wash my hands.
5:36
Okay, if you're interested
in learning more
5:38
about hydrostatic pressure,
5:39
why our everyday
appliances are constructed
5:42
in certain ways, or how we use gravity
5:44
to our advantage every single day,
5:46
you should check out Brilliant.
5:48
Whether you're into superpowers,
5:50
or, well of course, that's superpowers,
5:52
or a life long learner,
or just somebody who
5:55
is naturally curious,
5:56
- Or if you're weirdly into water towers
5:58
like he is.
5:59
- Brilliant will help you master concepts
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in math, science, and engineering through
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solving fun, challenging problems.
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I'm looking through the Outside
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6:08
These beautiful geometry problems have
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such amazing solutions that I wanna read
6:13
the solutions even if I got it correct.
6:15
It's so much fun, I don't even
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6:18
This is seriously amazing stuff.
6:20
And as a bonus to StarTalk viewers,
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the first 78 that go to
Brilliant.org/startalk--
6:26
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6:27
You know what? Thin air!
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Right there.
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You'll get 20% off an annual subscription
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which helps you think like a scientist.
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- You know where I pull numbers out of?
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- Where?
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- Thin space.
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- Ooh, snap, he's--
- That's thinner
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than your thin air.
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- 'Cause there's no atmosphere.
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