Heron’s Fountain

Heron's fountain is a hydraulic machine invented by the 1st century AD inventor, mathematician, and physicist Heron of Alexandria. The fountain consists of the 3 containers which are connected by pipes as our model shows. The air supply bottom container should contain only air; the water supply container (middle container) should contain only water. When water is poured into the top container it flows by gravity into the air supply container (bottom container). This water forces the air to move into the water supply container. There, the air pressure is increased and, therefore, the water in the middle container is forced out the top like a fountain into the basin. The fountain water caught in the basin will drain back to the air supply container. The flow will stop when the water supply container is empty.