How to Make a Self-Starting Siphon

To move liquid from one container to another, you may need a siphon, a bent tube with one end that’s lower than the first. Suction is one way to get the liquid moving through it, but if you don’t have a pump and you don’t want to suck on the end of the tube—something to avoid with liquids you don’t want to breathe or drink—how can you get the liquid moving?

In this clip from Australia’s The Curiosity Show, which ran from 1972 to 1990, science educator Dr. Rob Morrison demonstrates how a self-starting siphon can move the liquid with relative ease. And after you’ve seen the physics, you can make your own self-starting siphon with some bendy straws.