4 ms·

I actually wanted to do this, and went as far as drawing a sketch on paper, but then I realised it would be impossible to drink from :). As soon as you tilt th

I actually wanted to do this, and went as far as drawing a sketch on paper, but then I realised it would be impossible to drink from :). As soon as you tilt the cup towards your lips the nearest tubes would fill up and start siphoning.

dahart 8y ago
That is a really good point that didn't occur to me. So, how about winding all the tubes together around the cup in a spiral? That would keep the high point always above the liquid line, unless the cup is sitting flat when over-filled, wouldn't it?
- jstanley 8y ago
  What a great idea. That seems like it would work! The high point of each siphon could be exactly opposite the entry point. The siphons would need to cross past each other, but only 2 at any one point need to cross, which I think is manageable. Maybe my Pythagorean cup rabbithole is still not over...
  - dahart 8y ago
    > Maybe my Pythagorean cup rabbithole is still not over... I'm sorry! ;) And I will love to see it printed and/or turned into another post.
    - jstanley 8y ago
      On second thoughts, I still don't think it would work. As you tilt the cup towards your lips, if the "highest" siphon pickup is still submerged, then that will correspond to the "lowest" siphon top and it will start siphoning anyway. It would work as long as it could be arranged that the pickup would become exposed to air before the siphon started siphoning, but I'm not sure that's possible while still retaining the property that it self-starts when overfilled. Also, even if the tube doesn't siphon because the pickup is exposed to air, there would still be liquid in the tube, some of which would get pushed over the top and leak out the bottom whenever you try to drink.
      - rhn_mk1 8y ago
        Connect them with a ring around the top. The high point will always be above the liquid level while drinking.
        jstanley 8y ago
        Nice, that would stop the siphon from self-starting! Although it still wouldn't stop some water from trickling out the bottom when it tips over the "lowest" peak.

dahart 8y ago

That is a really good point that didn't occur to me. So, how about winding all the tubes together around the cup in a spiral? That would keep the high point always above the liquid line, unless the cup is sitting flat when over-filled, wouldn't it?

jstanley 8y ago
What a great idea. That seems like it would work! The high point of each siphon could be exactly opposite the entry point. The siphons would need to cross past each other, but only 2 at any one point need to cross, which I think is manageable. Maybe my Pythagorean cup rabbithole is still not over...
- dahart 8y ago
  > Maybe my Pythagorean cup rabbithole is still not over... I'm sorry! ;) And I will love to see it printed and/or turned into another post.
  - jstanley 8y ago
    On second thoughts, I still don't think it would work. As you tilt the cup towards your lips, if the "highest" siphon pickup is still submerged, then that will correspond to the "lowest" siphon top and it will start siphoning anyway. It would work as long as it could be arranged that the pickup would become exposed to air before the siphon started siphoning, but I'm not sure that's possible while still retaining the property that it self-starts when overfilled. Also, even if the tube doesn't siphon because the pickup is exposed to air, there would still be liquid in the tube, some of which would get pushed over the top and leak out the bottom whenever you try to drink.
    - rhn_mk1 8y ago
      Connect them with a ring around the top. The high point will always be above the liquid level while drinking.
      - jstanley 8y ago
        Nice, that would stop the siphon from self-starting! Although it still wouldn't stop some water from trickling out the bottom when it tips over the "lowest" peak.