Consider a bucket of water with two holes of equal area through which water is discharged. The water can flow out through hole ( B ), at the bottom, or through the down-spout, which begins at the top ( T ) and has its opening the same distance below the water level as the center of hole ( B).

  \-------------------------/
   \                       /
    \                     /__
     \                  T/--+|
      \                 /   ||
       \               /    ||
    ____\             /     ||
    -----\B          /      ||
          \---------/

Ignoring any friction effects, out of which opening will the water flow faster, and why?

The simple answer is that the water will flow at the same rates through both openings.

The flow rate is based on the external pressure at the opening (atmospheric) and the internal pressure at the point of discharge (water depth plus atmospheric).  These values are the equal for the two holes, so the flow rates will be equal.

Posted by Leming on 2006-09-28 14:54:08