An Elementary Treatment of the Reverse Sprinkler
| dc.creator | Jenkins, Alejandro | |
| dc.date | 2003-12-15 | |
| dc.date | 2004-05-03 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T05:50:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T05:50:43Z | |
| dc.description | We discuss the reverse sprinkler problem: How does a sprinkler turn when submerged and made to suck in water? We propose a solution that requires only a knowledge of mechanics and fluid dynamics at the introductory university level. We argue that as the flow of water starts, the sprinkler briefly experiences a torque that would make it turn toward the incoming water, while as the flow of water ceases it briefly experiences a torque in the opposite direction. No torque is expected when water is flowing steadily into it unless dissipative effects, such as viscosity, are considered. Dissipative effects result in a small torque that would cause the sprinkler arm to accelerate toward the steadily incoming water. Our conclusions are discussed in light of an analysis of forces, conservation of angular momentum, and the experimental results reported by others. We review the conflicting published treatments of this problem, some of which have been incorrect and many of which have introduced complications that obscure the basic physics involved. | |
| dc.description | 16 pages, 8 figures. The subject of this paper is often referred to in the literature as the "Feynman sprinkler" or the "Feynman inverse sprinkler." v2:references added, discussion of angular momentum conservation clarified, section III expanded to include consideration of dissipative phenomena such as viscosity. v3:minor corrections of style. To appear in the American Journal of Physics | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0312087 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0312087 | |
| dc.identifier | Am. J. Phys. 72 (2004) 1276-1282 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1119/1.1761063 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/85798 | |
| dc.subject | Fluid Dynamics | |
| dc.subject | Physics Education | |
| dc.subject | History and Philosophy of Physics | |
| dc.title | An Elementary Treatment of the Reverse Sprinkler | |
| dc.type | text |