How did the fountains of Greece and Rome work without electric pumps to push water so high?
Paul, Hull, Maine Citizens of Segovia, Spain still use this Roman aqueduct. [Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton College] A: Simple gravity can do spectacular work. Start someplace high say, the Alban Hills, rising southeast of Rome to 3100 feet (945 m). This elevation can generate a hefty head of pressure 1300 psi (25 times the standard city water pressure these days). Aqueducts carried water into cities from nearby heights. Roman engineers often ended the aqueduct with an elevated cistern to store the water at pressure. The cistern usually fed a display fountain at its base. The Segovia aqueduct, for example, stands 93.5 feet (28.5 m) high. An elevated cistern built at the end of this aqueduct would generate 39 psi more than enough to drive fountain water 50 feet (15 m) into the sky. Who needs a pump? Further Surfing: The Physics Classroom: Potential energy Bluffton College: Roman aqueduct University of London: Fons from A dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities by John Murray, London 1875
