Question

What happens when you first add water to the stream table? Does a stream form immediately? If so, how does the water flow? If not, describe what happens instead.

Answer 1

The stream from a fountain broadens as it rises due to decreasing velocity and inertia, while a stream from a faucet narrows due to acceleration from gravity; surface tension is more noticeable in the falling stream.

Step-by-step explanation:

When water is shot nearly vertically upward in a decorative fountain, the stream broadens as it rises due to the decreasing velocity of the water as it climbs against gravity. Conversely, a stream of water falling from a faucet narrows as it falls because as water falls, it accelerates due to gravity, leading to a reduction in the stream's cross-section. Surface tension plays a role in both scenarios, but it has a more noticeable effect in the narrowing of the falling stream from the faucet. In the rising stream of the fountain, surface tension tries to keep the water molecules together, but the effect is overshadowed by the spreading caused by the inertia of the water and the influence of air resistance.