Energy of water flowing down from a tank

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the conservation of energy in the context of water flowing from a tank through a garden hose. When the hose tip is partially closed, the velocity of the water increases, resulting in higher kinetic energy at the tip. The kinetic energy calculations show that while the initial stored energy remains constant, the increase in velocity leads to greater kinetic energy due to reduced friction losses in the system. The key takeaway is that the energy is not created but rather redirected, emphasizing the importance of understanding pressure energy and friction in fluid dynamics.

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  • Understanding of fluid dynamics principles
  • Knowledge of kinetic energy formulas
  • Familiarity with pressure energy concepts
  • Basic understanding of friction in piping systems
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  • Study the Bernoulli's principle in fluid mechanics
  • Learn about energy loss due to friction in pipes
  • Explore the relationship between pressure and velocity in fluid flow
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chennaivishnu
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Hi,
I have a garden which I water with the help of a garden hose, which drains water stored in a overhead tank (water tank at a certain height). Here is what I observe - when I partially close the tip of my gardern hose, the velocity of the water increases and hence the water reaches farther.

Now, here is my question on conservation of energy:

Suppose I fill the tank with 'm' kg of water and then I drain the entire tank once, with the hose normally held. And suppose V1 m/s was the average velocity of the water flowing out of the hose into the garden.
Then, I fill the tank again with 'm' kg of water and again drain it completely through the garden hose. But this time, I partially close the tip of the garden hose. So, this time, the velocity will be higher - say this time it is (V1 + v) m/s.

In the first case, the total kinetic energy of water at the tip of the hose will be 0.5mV1^2. In the second case, the total kinetic energy of water at the tip of the hose will be 0.5m(V1+v)^2, which is higer than the first one. But, in both the cases, the intial stored energy was the same and it was this stored energy that gave the kinetic energy at the tip of the hose. So, how come there is more KE in the second case? Where does the extra energy come from?!
 
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It's not about where the energy came from, it's where the energy went. In the case of the wide-open valve, most of the pressure energy that was available is lost due to friction inside the piping.
 

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