A siphon moves water through a tube.
It can move water up and over. It does not need a pump. Gravity pulls the water down the long side. This helps the water move. It is very cool to see!
Can you find one at home?
A siphon is a tube that moves liquid.
It can move liquid up and over. It does not use a pump. Gravity pulls the liquid down the long side.
This pull helps the liquid move. The liquid flows from a high place to a low place.
People have used siphons for a long time. Ancient Egyptians used them to get liquid from jars.
It is very fun to watch a siphon work!
A siphon is a tool that moves liquid through tubes.
Most siphons use an upside-down U shape. This shape lets liquid flow up and over a wall. It does not need a pump to work. Instead, it uses the pull of gravity.
How does it work? There are two main ideas. One idea says that gravity pulls the liquid down the long side. This creates low pressure at the top. Then, the air around us pushes the liquid up. This is like using a drinking straw.
Another idea is called cohesion tension. This is when liquid parts pull on each other. It is like a chain moving over a pulley. In a vacuum, where there is no air, siphons still work. This shows that the air-pushing idea is not the only way.
People have used siphons for a very long time. Egyptians used them to take liquid from large jars. In the 9th century, the Banu Musa brothers made a special kind. It had two tubes inside each other.
A siphon is a clever tool used to move liquids through tubes.
Most often, a siphon uses a tube shaped like an upside-down "U." This shape allows liquid to flow upward, over the top of a container, and down into another one. The amazing part is that it does not need a pump to move the liquid. Instead, the device is powered by gravity. The liquid flows down the longer side of the tube to a level lower than the starting surface. This downward movement is what keeps the whole thing working.
Scientists have two main ideas about how this works. One theory says that gravity pulls the liquid down the long exit side. This pull creates a zone of low pressure at the top of the tube. Because the pressure is lower there, the air around us pushes the liquid up from the reservoir.
This is very similar to how you use a drinking straw. Another theory is called cohesion tension. This idea suggests the liquid pulls itself over the top, much like a chain moving over a pulley.
Both ideas might be right depending on the situation.
People have been using siphons for thousands of years. Egyptian reliefs from 1500 BC show siphons being used to take liquid from large storage jars. In the 6th century BC, the Greeks used a device called the Justice cup of Pythagoras in Samos. Later, Greek engineers used them in Pergamon during the 3rd century BC. In the 9th century, the Banu Musa brothers in Baghdad invented a special double-concentric siphon. They described this invention in their famous Book of Ingenious Devices.
There are many interesting facts about how siphons behave in different places. For example, siphons can actually work in a vacuum. A vacuum is a space with no air, so the air-pressure theory cannot explain how they work there. In those cases, the cohesion tension theory is a better explanation. We can also see a special version called a flying-droplet siphon. In this version, surface tension pulls the liquid into separate droplets inside a sealed chamber.
This prevents the liquid from touching and shows that the liquid does not need to pull on itself to work.
Siphons are linked to many things you might see every day. You can find them in homebrewing beer or in science experiments with fruit punch.
Even plants use a similar kind of pulling force. In vascular plants, water moves through parts called the xylem using transpirational pull. This is very much like the tension idea used to explain siphons. Whether it is a small tube in a kitchen or a large system in a plant, the way liquid moves is truly fascinating.
A siphon is a device used to move liquids through tubes.
In its most common form, a siphon uses a tube shaped like an inverted "U." This specific shape allows liquid to flow upward, above the surface of a reservoir. It then travels over the top and discharges at a level lower than the original surface. This process occurs without the use of a pump. Instead, the movement is powered by the fall of the liquid under the pull of gravity. Siphons are important tools in many different fields, from engineering to biology.
Scientists use two main theories to explain how a siphon moves liquid uphill. The traditional theory focuses on atmospheric pressure and gravity. In this view, gravity pulls the liquid down the longer exit side of the tube. This downward pull creates a zone of reduced hydrostatic pressure at the top of the siphon. Because the pressure is lower at the top, the atmospheric pressure at the entrance pushes the liquid up into that low-pressure zone. This is similar to how a barometer or a drinking straw works.
Another explanation is known as the cohesion tension theory. This theory suggests the liquid is pulled over the siphon in a way similar to a chain fountain.
You can imagine a chain hanging over a pulley. If one side of the chain is longer and heavier, gravity pulls it down. This action pulls the lighter side of the chain upward. In this model, the liquid's own cohesive tension—the way its molecules stick together—pulls it over the rise. However, this model has limits. For example, it does not account for the fact that the height of the reservoir surfaces, rather than just the weight of the liquid, determines the pressure balance.
Both theories may be correct depending on the environment. The atmospheric pressure theory cannot explain how siphons work in a vacuum. A vacuum is a space where there is no significant atmospheric pressure to push the liquid. In a vacuum, siphons rely on cohesion tension to function. Conversely, the cohesion tension theory struggles to explain gas siphons or siphons containing bubbles.
There is also the flying-droplet siphon. In this device, surface tension pulls the liquid into separate droplets inside a sealed chamber. This prevents the liquid from making contact, which means cohesion tension cannot be pulling the liquid up.
Humans have used siphons for thousands of years. Egyptian reliefs from 1500 BC depict siphons being used to extract liquids from large storage jars. In the 6th century BC, the Greeks used a device called the Justice cup of Pythagoras in Samos. By the 3rd century BC, Greek engineers in Pergamon were also using siphons. In the 9th century, the Banu Musa brothers in Baghdad invented a double-concentric siphon. They detailed this invention in their Book of Ingenious Devices. Later, in the 17th century, researchers studied siphons to understand suction pumps and the limits of vacuum pumps.
Siphons appear in many practical and surprising ways. You might see them used in homebrewing beer or in science demonstrations involving tropical fruit punch.
In large-scale engineering, siphon spillways are used to drain reservoirs.
Even in nature, siphoning principles are at work. In vascular plants, water is moved through parts called the xylem. This happens through a process called transpirational pull, which uses tension to move water. Whether it is a small tube in a lab or a massive system in a plant, siphons show how gravity and pressure work together to move the world's liquids.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (17)
+ 5 more
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.