How does a musical fountain work

24 Oct 2019

A musical fountain, also known as a dancing fountain, is a type of animated fountain for entertainment purposes that creates an aesthetic design (including three-dimensional images). This is achieved by employing the effects of timed sound waves and timed light (including laser) against water particles.

Modern day fountains employ a computer controlled pneumatic arrangements, essentially a pressurized cylinder of water with the provision of an expulsion mechanism(like a piston) and a nozzle at the outlet that are programmed to squirt water with a specific force for a specific duration while the computer also manages the audio output.

The circulation system is also modernized with the help of pressure sensors and pumps to maintain continuity. Old school fountains used the principle of siphoning to maintain continuity where the water level was maintained slightly above the height of the canons that squirted water such that any drop in water level resulted in a siphoning suction being established at the canon's mouth.