Water Tower

Potential energy is stored in the tower in the position of the water. Eight nozzles have been placed at various heights below the water level in the tower. What happens when the water flows out?

The streams of water all reach approximately equal heights. As the water flows out, potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. The higher the speed of the water, the greater the kinetic energy. As the water is sprayed upwards, it loses speed. As the kinetic energy falls, the potential energy increases. The tower has been designed to give low energy loss, and this means that the sum of the two energy forms will be nearly constant. The true reason that water towers are used is to achieve even pressure through the water pipes. If pumps are used instead, the pressure can vary a great deal.