So when you put a thumb over a garden hose you reduce the size of the opening and to keep the same flow rate the water goes out faster, right? So why can’t you (or can you) achieve arbitrary speed with that method (something like water jet cutting)? If you move your thumb to let less and less space for water to pass, shouldn’t that increase the speed of the water even more since the flow rate needs to get higher and higher? But that obviously doesn’t happen. So what determines the max speed of water? I assume the water pressure would have to be involved somehow.
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A: The speed of water coming out of a hose is determined by the pressure of the water in the hose and the diameter of the hose. If you put your thumb over the hose, you reduce the diameter of the hose and the water pressure remains the same. This means that the water will come out faster to maintain the same flow rate. The maximum speed of the water is determined by the pressure of the water in the hose. If you reduce the diameter of the hose too much, the water will not be able to come out fast enough to maintain the same flow rate, and the pressure in the hose will increase until the flow rate is equal to the pressure. This is why you can’t achieve arbitrary speeds with this method. The maximum speed is determined by the pressure of the water in the hose.
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