1
00:00:00,380 --> 00:00:02,409
- So I dig water towers.

2
00:00:02,410 --> 00:00:03,850
- Don't get me started on water towers.

3
00:00:03,850 --> 00:00:04,682
- Oh really?

4
00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:06,352
- Don't even.

5
00:00:06,352 --> 00:00:07,185
- You like water towers too?

6
00:00:07,185 --> 00:00:08,019
Or--
- I'm--

7
00:00:08,019 --> 00:00:09,759
- Please, I don't wanna
feel alone in this.

8
00:00:09,759 --> 00:00:11,009
(laughing)

9
00:00:11,009 --> 00:00:12,297
Please say yes.

10
00:00:12,297 --> 00:00:14,880
(bright music)

11
00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:18,461
- So when you talk about water towers,

12
00:00:18,461 --> 00:00:19,294
- Yes.

13
00:00:19,295 --> 00:00:20,128
- You have to be specific.

14
00:00:20,128 --> 00:00:21,500
Because if you live in New York City,

15
00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:22,332
- Right.
- Water tower

16
00:00:22,332 --> 00:00:25,029
means only one thing,
and that's the vessel

17
00:00:25,030 --> 00:00:26,810
that holds water on the
top of your building.

18
00:00:26,809 --> 00:00:30,119
But most people I think,
when they hear water tower,

19
00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:31,480
they think of the water tower that's in

20
00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:32,369
the center of their town.

21
00:00:32,369 --> 00:00:33,202
- [Interviewer] That's true.

22
00:00:33,203 --> 00:00:36,720
- And if you came at the
right time, in twilight,

23
00:00:36,719 --> 00:00:39,189
and you're not quite fully there,

24
00:00:39,189 --> 00:00:41,199
it looks like, they all almost look like

25
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:42,250
they landed from Mars.

26
00:00:42,250 --> 00:00:43,082
- Right.

27
00:00:43,082 --> 00:00:44,689
- Aliens comin' down.

28
00:00:44,689 --> 00:00:49,179
In fact, during the broadcast
of "War of the Worlds"

29
00:00:49,179 --> 00:00:50,670
there are people thinking it's real

30
00:00:50,670 --> 00:00:52,850
and they were described as having these,

31
00:00:52,850 --> 00:00:54,798
you know, and so people
were shooting water towers.

32
00:00:54,798 --> 00:00:55,631
(whooshing)
(clinking)

33
00:00:55,631 --> 00:00:56,463
- [Interviewer] Shooting water towers.

34
00:00:56,463 --> 00:00:58,759
- Yeah, thinking that was
what was being described.

35
00:00:58,759 --> 00:01:00,289
Anyhow, so--

36
00:01:00,289 --> 00:01:01,348
- Kinda cool, actually.

37
00:01:01,348 --> 00:01:03,149
(laughing)

38
00:01:03,149 --> 00:01:04,849
- Water towers are interesting because

39
00:01:04,849 --> 00:01:06,500
it gives you water pressure

40
00:01:07,569 --> 00:01:10,319
without electricity,
provided it's full of water.

41
00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:11,152
- Right.

42
00:01:11,153 --> 00:01:12,410
- All right? But how do
you get the water up there?

43
00:01:12,409 --> 00:01:14,060
You gotta pump it.

44
00:01:14,060 --> 00:01:15,640
Water doesn't get there by itself.

45
00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:16,472
- Okay, now--

46
00:01:16,472 --> 00:01:18,560
- How you gonna get water
up to the top of your roof?

47
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:19,409
You gotta pump it.

48
00:01:19,409 --> 00:01:20,359
That takes electricity.

49
00:01:20,359 --> 00:01:21,310
So here's what happens.

50
00:01:21,310 --> 00:01:22,843
You pump the water up to the tower.

51
00:01:22,843 --> 00:01:24,293
Oop, now that's a blackout.

52
00:01:25,269 --> 00:01:28,459
You still have water
until that tank empties.

53
00:01:28,459 --> 00:01:29,292
- Right.

54
00:01:29,293 --> 00:01:30,390
- Then you don't have water.

55
00:01:30,390 --> 00:01:31,409
- 'Cause you have gravity.

56
00:01:31,409 --> 00:01:32,506
As long as you have gravity--

57
00:01:32,506 --> 00:01:34,423
- As long as you have, well,
gravity to pull the water

58
00:01:34,423 --> 00:01:35,302
from--
- To pull the water from--

59
00:01:35,302 --> 00:01:36,135
the tower.
- Then you have it.

60
00:01:36,135 --> 00:01:37,493
- Right.

61
00:01:37,492 --> 00:01:39,649
- So basically, if the
electricity goes out,

62
00:01:39,650 --> 00:01:42,210
quickly fill up everything with water.

63
00:01:42,209 --> 00:01:44,059
And then it'll be gone and then you could,

64
00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:46,240
you don't have to be stank,
you know, the next day.

65
00:01:46,239 --> 00:01:48,079
- So now here's the interesting question.

66
00:01:48,079 --> 00:01:50,899
If you gotta pump the
water up to the tower,

67
00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:51,733
- Right.

68
00:01:51,733 --> 00:01:53,240
- Why not just pump the water straight

69
00:01:53,239 --> 00:01:55,519
to the people's apartments
in the building?

70
00:01:55,519 --> 00:01:57,229
- Oh, 'cause they might
not need it in that moment.

71
00:01:57,230 --> 00:02:01,796
Plus, you want enough
water at any given instant

72
00:02:01,796 --> 00:02:02,629
(water trickling)

73
00:02:02,629 --> 00:02:03,569
to accommodate--
- To everybody.

74
00:02:03,569 --> 00:02:04,659
- [Neil] If everybody
wants to take a shower,

75
00:02:04,659 --> 00:02:05,492
they can do it.

76
00:02:05,492 --> 00:02:07,189
- [Interviewer] Right,
because all the water is right

77
00:02:07,189 --> 00:02:08,740
in this one tank.
- Right in that one thing.

78
00:02:08,740 --> 00:02:10,620
But if you, therefore,
everybody would have to have

79
00:02:10,620 --> 00:02:12,234
a pump, and what's the point of that?

80
00:02:12,234 --> 00:02:13,067
- [Interviewer] Right.

81
00:02:13,067 --> 00:02:13,900
- Right, right.

82
00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:15,120
So it has that efficiency, okay?

83
00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:16,247
- See, I like water towers even more now.

84
00:02:16,247 --> 00:02:17,770
- Now here's another thing.

85
00:02:17,770 --> 00:02:20,310
Have you ever noticed the
buckles that go around

86
00:02:20,310 --> 00:02:21,550
the water tower that holds theme together?

87
00:02:21,550 --> 00:02:23,332
- Yes, they're like
little metal rods that go

88
00:02:23,331 --> 00:02:24,164
all the way round.
- The metal rods.

89
00:02:24,164 --> 00:02:25,439
Yeah, have you ever noticed those?

90
00:02:25,439 --> 00:02:26,272
- Yes I have.

91
00:02:26,272 --> 00:02:27,105
- Have you ever thought about them?

92
00:02:27,105 --> 00:02:28,599
- Uh, not really.

93
00:02:28,599 --> 00:02:31,150
- Let's split the water tower
into three levels, right?

94
00:02:31,150 --> 00:02:32,909
- Okay.
- Top, middle and bottom.

95
00:02:32,909 --> 00:02:34,280
- Okay, that would be a good three.

96
00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,770
- So you can ask, what is
the weight of the water

97
00:02:37,770 --> 00:02:39,060
of that top third?

98
00:02:39,060 --> 00:02:41,039
It's whatever it is, okay?
- Right.

99
00:02:41,039 --> 00:02:42,500
- [Neil] Call it 500 pounds.

100
00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,250
- [Interviewer] 500 pounds.

101
00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:45,930
- [Neil] So now I put a
little buckle around that.

102
00:02:45,930 --> 00:02:47,069
- [Interviewer] Right.

103
00:02:47,068 --> 00:02:47,901
- [Neil] Okay? Right at that spot.

104
00:02:47,901 --> 00:02:50,462
Let me go to the bottom of that.

105
00:02:51,689 --> 00:02:53,819
Now what is the weight
of water at that point?

106
00:02:53,819 --> 00:02:55,180
Well, it's the top part--
- It's 500,

107
00:02:55,180 --> 00:02:56,319
- Plus 500
- Plus 500.

108
00:02:56,319 --> 00:02:58,250
- It's 1000 pounds.
- It's 1000 pounds.

109
00:02:58,250 --> 00:03:00,328
- Well if--
- Plus the 500 at the bottom

110
00:03:00,328 --> 00:03:01,161
pushin' up.
- I didn't get there yet.

111
00:03:01,161 --> 00:03:02,500
I didn't get there yet.
- Sorry.

112
00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:06,750
- [Neil] So if one of these hoops is

113
00:03:06,750 --> 00:03:09,240
the right strength to hold 500 pounds,

114
00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,219
- [Interviewer] Right.

115
00:03:10,219 --> 00:03:12,789
- [Neil] Then that one,
I need more than one hoop

116
00:03:12,789 --> 00:03:14,239
to hold it down here.

117
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:15,073
- [Interviewer] Right, yeah.

118
00:03:15,073 --> 00:03:15,906
- [Neil] I need two.

119
00:03:15,906 --> 00:03:16,739
- [Interviewer] Right.

120
00:03:16,739 --> 00:03:18,390
- [Neil] If one can hold 500
and two will hold the thousand.

121
00:03:18,389 --> 00:03:19,564
Now I'm at the bottom.

122
00:03:19,564 --> 00:03:20,397
(water gurgling)

123
00:03:20,397 --> 00:03:22,449
I have 500 plus 500, I got 1500 pounds

124
00:03:22,449 --> 00:03:23,560
pressin' down the bottom.

125
00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:24,581
- [Interviewer] Right.

126
00:03:24,581 --> 00:03:26,000
- [Neil] I need three of those hoops.

127
00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:26,832
- [Interviewer] Gotcha.

128
00:03:26,832 --> 00:03:27,665
- Okay?

129
00:03:27,665 --> 00:03:30,222
Go look at the water towers
on the tops of buildings.

130
00:03:31,169 --> 00:03:33,655
The hoops get closer and closer together--

131
00:03:33,655 --> 00:03:34,487
- Closer and closer as
you get to the bottom.

132
00:03:34,487 --> 00:03:35,639
- As you get to the bottom.

133
00:03:35,639 --> 00:03:38,292
Just because of this fact,
the water gets heavy.

134
00:03:39,490 --> 00:03:40,640
- Nice.

135
00:03:40,639 --> 00:03:42,500
That is more than you ever
wanted to know about water.

136
00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:44,396
- I know, it is, it is so too much.

137
00:03:44,396 --> 00:03:45,229
(laughing)

138
00:03:45,229 --> 00:03:46,129
- And it's so cool as
far as I'm concerned.

139
00:03:46,129 --> 00:03:48,090
- If they're equally spaced,
the person didn't know

140
00:03:48,090 --> 00:03:49,370
what they were doing and you should not

141
00:03:49,370 --> 00:03:50,680
move into that building.

142
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,069
Because the base of the
water tower would not be

143
00:03:53,069 --> 00:03:55,810
as structurally sound
as the upper portions,

144
00:03:55,810 --> 00:03:57,689
and that's, you know, that's
where the stuff goes bad.

145
00:03:57,689 --> 00:03:59,533
- You better have flood
insurance if that happens.

146
00:03:59,533 --> 00:04:00,829
(laughing)

147
00:04:00,830 --> 00:04:01,930
Wow, that is so cool.

148
00:04:01,930 --> 00:04:02,763
Water towers.
- Water towers.

149
00:04:02,763 --> 00:04:03,831
A little bit of physics.

150
00:04:03,831 --> 00:04:04,664
- A little bit of physics.

151
00:04:04,664 --> 00:04:05,497
- A little bit electricity.

152
00:04:05,497 --> 00:04:06,330
- It's all happenin'.

153
00:04:06,330 --> 00:04:07,163
- Oh, one last thing, one last thing.

154
00:04:07,163 --> 00:04:08,099
- Oh, cool.

155
00:04:08,099 --> 00:04:10,419
- If a building in Manhattan is lower than

156
00:04:10,419 --> 00:04:13,619
about six stories, it
doesn't need a water tower.

157
00:04:13,620 --> 00:04:14,453
- All right.

158
00:04:15,340 --> 00:04:18,699
Hm, because, wait, let me guess.

159
00:04:18,699 --> 00:04:21,610
Because you can get the
water to every apartment

160
00:04:21,610 --> 00:04:23,389
just through the regular
pressure of a pump?

161
00:04:23,389 --> 00:04:24,659
- Yes, no, it's not a pump.

162
00:04:24,660 --> 00:04:25,493
- Not a pump.

163
00:04:25,492 --> 00:04:27,480
- It's the height of the reservoir that's

164
00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,890
feeding Manhattan has that
elevation above Manhattan.

165
00:04:31,889 --> 00:04:33,135
- [Interviewer] Gotcha. So the pressure

166
00:04:33,136 --> 00:04:35,070
is already there.
- So the water falls.

167
00:04:35,069 --> 00:04:38,903
The water falls from the reservoir

168
00:04:38,903 --> 00:04:40,829
into your faucet.
- Into your faucet.

169
00:04:40,829 --> 00:04:42,050
- Over that height.

170
00:04:42,050 --> 00:04:43,060
And you know something?

171
00:04:43,060 --> 00:04:44,740
The ancient Romans knew that.

172
00:04:44,740 --> 00:04:45,939
The aqueducts.
- Aqueducts were

173
00:04:45,939 --> 00:04:47,110
built on that.

174
00:04:47,110 --> 00:04:49,139
- Aqueducts, some of which,

175
00:04:49,139 --> 00:04:50,759
pieces of which are still standing,

176
00:04:50,759 --> 00:04:51,593
- [Interviewer] Yeah.

177
00:04:51,593 --> 00:04:54,730
- Was a channel that fed a lake,

178
00:04:54,730 --> 00:04:56,140
or whatever was their water supply,

179
00:04:56,139 --> 00:04:58,789
which was at a higher elevation than Rome.

180
00:04:58,790 --> 00:05:00,520
And they scoop up that water and the water

181
00:05:00,519 --> 00:05:02,659
just goes down all by itself.
- By itself.

182
00:05:02,660 --> 00:05:03,780
- No pump necessary.

183
00:05:03,779 --> 00:05:05,099
- Boy, they don't build those aqueducts

184
00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:06,052
like they used to.

185
00:05:06,052 --> 00:05:06,920
- I know, and it's still standing.

186
00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:07,753
- Yep.
- We got stuff

187
00:05:07,752 --> 00:05:09,399
here fallin' down that built 10 years ago.

188
00:05:09,399 --> 00:05:10,919
And that's up for 2000 years.

189
00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:12,430
- God dag.

190
00:05:12,430 --> 00:05:14,009
- That just meant the mayor

191
00:05:14,009 --> 00:05:16,149
- Of Rome.
- Of Rome.

192
00:05:16,149 --> 00:05:17,828
Spent too much money building it.

193
00:05:17,829 --> 00:05:18,790
(laughing)

194
00:05:18,790 --> 00:05:20,450
If your structures
outlive your civilization

195
00:05:20,449 --> 00:05:21,560
by 2000 years?

196
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:22,565
- Yeah.

197
00:05:22,565 --> 00:05:23,399
- You overbuilt.

198
00:05:23,399 --> 00:05:24,314
- You probably overbuilt.

199
00:05:24,314 --> 00:05:25,230
That's very funny.

200
00:05:25,230 --> 00:05:26,370
All right, there you go.

201
00:05:26,370 --> 00:05:27,579
Who knew there was so much to learn

202
00:05:27,579 --> 00:05:28,689
about water towers?

203
00:05:28,689 --> 00:05:30,490
So next time I wash my
hands, I'm gonna remember

204
00:05:30,490 --> 00:05:31,730
how far that water had to travel

205
00:05:31,730 --> 00:05:32,840
into my building.

206
00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:33,673
Yes, right.

207
00:05:33,673 --> 00:05:36,100
By the way, I never wash my hands.

208
00:05:36,100 --> 00:05:38,010
Okay, if you're interested
in learning more

209
00:05:38,009 --> 00:05:39,579
about hydrostatic pressure,

210
00:05:39,579 --> 00:05:42,669
why our everyday
appliances are constructed

211
00:05:42,670 --> 00:05:44,480
in certain ways, or how we use gravity

212
00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:46,150
to our advantage every single day,

213
00:05:46,149 --> 00:05:48,129
you should check out Brilliant.

214
00:05:48,129 --> 00:05:50,290
Whether you're into superpowers,

215
00:05:50,290 --> 00:05:52,490
or, well of course, that's superpowers,

216
00:05:52,490 --> 00:05:55,410
or a life long learner,
or just somebody who

217
00:05:55,410 --> 00:05:56,640
is naturally curious,

218
00:05:56,639 --> 00:05:58,439
- Or if you're weirdly into water towers

219
00:05:58,439 --> 00:05:59,819
like he is.

220
00:05:59,819 --> 00:06:01,500
- Brilliant will help you master concepts

221
00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:03,129
in math, science, and engineering through

222
00:06:03,129 --> 00:06:05,290
solving fun, challenging problems.

223
00:06:05,290 --> 00:06:08,000
I'm looking through the Outside
the Box Geometry course.

224
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,069
These beautiful geometry problems have

225
00:06:10,069 --> 00:06:13,139
such amazing solutions that I wanna read

226
00:06:13,139 --> 00:06:15,669
the solutions even if I got it correct.

227
00:06:15,670 --> 00:06:18,860
It's so much fun, I don't even
realize that I'm learning.

228
00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:20,960
This is seriously amazing stuff.

229
00:06:20,959 --> 00:06:22,849
And as a bonus to StarTalk viewers,

230
00:06:22,850 --> 00:06:26,040
the first 78 that go to
Brilliant.org/startalk--

231
00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:27,580
- [Neil] Where'd you
pull that number out of?

232
00:06:27,579 --> 00:06:29,319
You know what? Thin air!

233
00:06:29,319 --> 00:06:30,269
Right there.

234
00:06:30,269 --> 00:06:33,129
You'll get 20% off an annual subscription

235
00:06:33,129 --> 00:06:36,029
which helps you think like a scientist.

236
00:06:36,029 --> 00:06:37,219
- You know where I pull numbers out of?

237
00:06:37,220 --> 00:06:38,053
- Where?

238
00:06:38,052 --> 00:06:39,129
- Thin space.

239
00:06:39,129 --> 00:06:40,913
- Ooh, snap, he's--
- That's thinner

240
00:06:40,913 --> 00:06:41,920
than your thin air.

241
00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:43,279
- 'Cause there's no atmosphere.

242
00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:44,112
You know what I mean?

243
00:06:44,112 --> 00:06:45,639
He pulls his number, they go forever.

244
00:06:45,639 --> 00:06:47,849
If you wanna see more
videos from StarTalk,

245
00:06:47,850 --> 00:06:50,340
hit the Subscribe bar and
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246
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247
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248
00:06:53,579 --> 00:06:57,750
And give us a like or a comment
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249
00:06:57,750 --> 00:06:58,583
Okay?

250
00:06:58,583 --> 00:07:01,010
So make sure that you check us out

251
00:07:01,009 --> 00:07:03,310
and make sure that you check him out.

252
00:07:03,310 --> 00:07:05,019
Because every time you
do, he's gonna tell you

253
00:07:05,019 --> 00:07:05,980
the same thing.

254
00:07:05,980 --> 00:07:08,173
- I'm gonna tell you to keep looking up.

255
00:07:08,173 --> 00:07:10,757
(bright music)