I saw a water fountain that shot a column of water about the thickness of a persons finger over a walkway then it was caught on the other side in a small bucket. How did they keep the column thin?
by 
JackNicklaus
ANSWERS: 2
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Any particle in motion will continue in the same direction unless acted upon by some force. In this case all the water molecules leave the fountain nozzle moving in the same direction. They are all acted on by the same downward force, namely gravity. So they follow the same trajectory or path. The water jet from the fountain isn't any different than a baseball pitching machine, or a tennis ball lobbing machine. In those cases, the balls all follow pretty much the same path as long as they are fired with the same force, at the same angle. With the water jet, all the "balls" come out in great number, and continuously (as long as the fountain is on), instead of one at a time.
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It's all in the design of the pump. I know the design you're speaking of. It shot an arc that abruptly shut off giving the impression of a tube of water that was uniform arcing through the air. The pump itself is no different than any other water pump other than it has a very fast spin up time and has an electrically operated valve that opens the nozzle body in an instant and closes it at a programmed period of time. The nozzle assembly itself is a constant width barrel, that is extremely smooth stainless steel so as not to introduce any turbulence in the out going jet. Some of these fountain pumps will also have a light incorporated in the water jet. Interesting effect. I've seen a few applications where they were used over walkways. The only problem being, a tall person is likely to get nailed in the side of the head. They parted my hair at a customer's house. These fountain pumps aren't cheap either, being made primarily of stainless. Have a look at the fountain housing next time you visit
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