A water jet is emitted from a horizontal nozzle. A series of weighted, evenly-spaced strings hangs from a horizontal rod which is mounted at the same height as the nozzle. The arc of the water jet follows the curve described by the ends of the strings and, by measuring the length of the strings, is shown to be a parabola.
prepared demo rack
Setup
- Connect the hose to the nozzle on one end and to the water tap in the lecture halls on the other end.
- Remove the drain covers in the lecture hall in front of the counters using a large flat head screw or something similar.
- Position the demo so that the nozzle spews water over the drain.
- At a fixed water pressure, map out the trajectory with the hanging beads. You should get a parabola, which you can confirm by measuring the length of the string and the position on the ruler at which it finds itself.
PIRA DCS 1D60.65