The pneumatics of Hero of AlexandriaHero, of Alexandria
History
The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria
Hero, of Alexandria
Discoveries in science -- History; Inventions -- History; Pneumatics
There is another kind of siphon called _the concentric_ or _inclosed
diabetes_, the principle of which is the same as that of the bent
siphon. As before, let there be a vessel, A B (fig. 2), containing
water. Through its bottom insert a tube, C D, soldered into the bottom
and projecting below. Let the aperture C of the siphon approach to the
mouth of the vessel A B, and let another tube, E F, inclose the tube
C D, the distance between the tubes being every where equal, and the
mouth of the outer tube being closed by a plate, E G, a little above
the mouth C. The lower opening of the tube E F must be so far removed
from the bottom of the vessel as to leave a passage for the water.
These arrangements being completed, if we exhaust, by suction through
the mouth D, the air in the tube C D, we shall draw into it the water
in the vessel A B, so that it will flow out through the projection of
the siphon until the water is exhausted. For the air contained between
the liquid and the tube E F, being but little, can pass into the tube
C D, and the water can then be drawn after it. And the water will
not cease flowing because of the projection of the siphon below:—if,
indeed, the tube E F were removed, the discharge would cease on the
surface of the water arriving at C, in spite of the projection below;
but when E F is entirely immersed no air can enter the siphon in place
of that drawn off, since the air which enters the vessel takes the
place of the water as it passes out:—the discharge then, will not
cease, for the whole of the outer aperture of the tube, where the
water issues forth, is always lower than the surface of the water in
the vessel, and, as one level can never be attained, all the water
is drained off, attraction being exerted by the deeper column. If we
do not choose to draw out the air in the tube C D by suction, water
may be poured into the vessel A B until, when it has risen above C, a
discharge begins through C D. In this case, again, all the water in the
vessel will be drawn out. This instrument is called, as we said before,
_the inclosed siphon_, or _the inclosed diabetes_.
It is evident from what has been proved above that as long as the
siphon is stationary the stream through it will be of irregular
velocity, for the result is the same as in a discharge through a hole
pierced in the bottom of a vessel, where the stream is irregular from
the pressure of a greater weight on the discharge at its commencement,
and, of a less, as the contents of the vessel are reduced. In like
manner, in proportion as the excess of the outer leg of the siphon is
greater, the velocity of the stream is greater; for a greater pressure
is exerted on the discharge than when the projection of the outer leg
below the surface of the water in the vessel is less. Therefore we
have said that the discharge through the siphon is always of variable
velocity. But we must contrive a siphon in which the velocity of the
discharge shall be uniform.
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