World's Longest Straw

TL;DR

Two friends test the limit of how long a straw can be to successfully drink liquid vertically.

Transcript

Hey Nige, can you get me another coke? Nah, I'm good, thanks. It's just downstairs. Nah, the tennis is on. You come to my house to watch the tennis and you're not even going to get me another coke? Yeah, it's the tiebreaker. Relax. You know what I wish we had? Like a really long straw so we don't even have to go downstairs to the kitchen. That wou... Read More

Key Insights

• 🍓 Long straws can be made by taping together multiple shorter straws.
• 🤑 Straws work based on the difference in pressure between the mouth and the atmosphere.
• 🏋️ The maximum height of liquid that can be lifted is determined by the pressure difference and the weight of the liquid.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the friends test the feasibility of a really long straw?

They first taped together drinking straws to create a 1-meter long straw and successfully drank from it. They then used plastic tubing of increasing lengths, with one friend managing to drink from a 6-meter long straw.

Q: How does a straw work?

Straws work based on the difference in pressure between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure created by sucking through the straw. This pressure difference causes the liquid to be pushed up the straw and into the mouth.

Q: What determines the maximum height of liquid that can be lifted with a straw?

The maximum height depends on the pressure difference created by sucking through the straw and the weight of the liquid, which is determined by its volume, density, and the gravitational field strength. The maximum height is approximately 10.3 meters.

Q: What was the result of their attempt to drink from a 10.5-meter long straw?

Despite their efforts, they were unable to create a perfect vacuum and the liquid did not reach the top. They could only successfully lift the liquid about 7 meters, lower than the theoretical maximum.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The friends discuss the idea of a really long straw to avoid going downstairs for drinks and decide to test its feasibility.

• They test different lengths of straws, starting from 1 meter and eventually reaching 6 meters, successfully drinking from a straw 6 meters long.

• They explain the science behind how straws work and calculate the maximum height of liquid that can be lifted using a straw, which is approximately 10.3 meters.