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Anonymous
ANSWERS: 6
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As long as the fluid is contained in a pipe, you can use any pump you like to drive it as fast as possible. It is theoretically conceivable that you may eventually get the flow rate in the pipe to be over the speed of sound in air. You would likely need a huge pump, and specially designed pipes. However, once the flow leaves the pipe, the pressure that drives the flow drops off exponentially as the stream interacts with the surrounding air.
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Joe Speedy is on the right track. I think it would be possible, if difficult, but even if the water were moving at a technically supersonic speed while contained in the pipe and not interacting with free air (and I say technically, because supersonic as a term really has meaning only in terms of movement through a compressible fluid, like air), it would not maintain that for more than an instant upon being ejected. It would be fascinating to watch, I suspect, and would probably look something like a continous explosion of water at the end of the pipe.
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A weak answer would be to move yourself at supersonic speeds. However, you might ask if liquid water could reach speeds greater than the speed of sound in water. The speed of sound in water (I think) is the maximum speed at which force can travel through the medium. Without applying pressure "everywhere" (i.e. like in a graviational field), you'd have to take into account the "speed" at which the pressure gradient reaches various points in the fluid. However, at high velocities, turbulent flow would form, greatly reducing the required pressure gradient. However, a pressure gradient would still exist even in turbulent flow, so I don't think it would be possible to maintain a stream of water at supersonic speeds. Obviously the speed of sound in air could be reached. taking compressibility into account, I get the impression that you'd have to slow down liquid somewhere to get it to speed up someplace else, using compression forces to move the fluid faster.
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There are industrial cutting machines which use high-pressure jets of water that emerge from nozzles at something like 2 or 3 times the speed of sound. They are capable of ultra-precise cutting of materials ranging from rubber to steel. They are especially useful when you don't want to heat the material or don't want gas, dust, or other environmental hazards.
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...LIQUID water? As opposed to other kinds of water?
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whay not? its mass isnt total and its the best known property for surviving things like great speeds. besides we use water to cut stone and steel so Id say water can do anything.
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