BCISB 

PHYSICS 

(Some) physics of riot police water cannons - a

mini analysis - G11 Physics

Learning Objectives
This mini-project uses the analysis of uniformly accelerated motion, one of the course topics,
as a pretext to further practice analytical competencies and learning objectives of the BCISB
physics classes (or any other classes). In particular, the so-called ‘big idea’ is that a
‘​movement of an object’s motion can be predicted, analyzed, and described’​. That includes
water jets.

It also addresses several curricular competencies including questioning, predicting, planning,

processing, data analysis, decision-making, evaluating the validity of your answers and,
importantly, the locally-placed context that you can possibly relate to - which although
apolitical, still requires some bravery, imagination, and social awareness - all of which are
what BCISB BEAR students stand for.

Instructions/background
Water cannons have been used world-wide by riot police to disperse crowds for almost 100
years. In Thailand, they were used to quell student protesters in Bangkok on October 16,
2020 (some two weeks ago). The water cannons use high-pressure to create high velocity
water jets to disperse crowds. Their use is controversial as they have caused serious injuries
and deaths in the past.

Bangkok Post, October 16, 2020.

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Instructions
Please watch the movies, look at the pictures, and read the Wikipedia article attached to his
assignment. Read carefully the two PDF files. One contains some general information on
high pressure crowd-dispersal water cannons and their dangers and precedents of
protesters being injured by them compiled by the Physicians for Human Rights. The second
one is an advertising brochure of a manufacturer of such cannons.

You will also need this equation which relates water pressure in the water cannon truck to
the speed of the water jet leaving the cannon’s nozzle (developed using ​Bernoulli equation​,
you can also look at the last example ​here​ to deduce this equation).

2p
u = Cv ·
√ ρ

Where:
u​ - water jet velocity as it leaves the nozzle [m/s​2​]
Cv​ - velocity coefficient (close to 1 for well-rounded nozzles)
p​ - water pressure [Pa]
ρ​ - (greek letter ‘rho’) density of liquid (water) coming out of the nozzle [kg/m​3​]; hint - you’ll
need to find it on your own (perhaps in HyperFactbook in ​https://www.ryzykfizyk.com/library​)

Your Job (collectively, and I’ll help...)

1. Question A​: After carefully having reviewed the information above and attached to
the assignment - especially the two PDF brochures, please calculate the ​maximum
range/distance​ that the Akron Brass Company water cannon Model 3563 (regular)
is capable of shooting when the water nozzle is ​horizontal​. Hint: you may need to
estimate the height of the water cannon mounted on top of the truck from the ground.

2. Question B​: If you ignore air drag and point your water cannon at ​45 degrees from
horizontal​, the water cannon should be shooting at its ​maximum range​. Calculate
this range.

3. Question C:​ Use the ​Phet Colorado Projectile Motion simulation​ to estimate what, if
any, effects may the ​air drag ​(resistance) have on the ​maximum range​ of the
cannon. Use realistic values (it’s not that simple for fluids - look at ​this article​ if you
want).

Some tips​ to help you out, as you will need to connect quite a few bits of information from
various sources and also develop some intuitive feel for how water jets work.

1. Draw a ​labeled​ sketch of the situation. Label all known and unknown variables on
the sketch.
2. List all you know that you think would be useful to solve the problem, with units

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3. Think of a water jet as a projectile - liquid, but still a projectile. If so, what principles
that you know can be used to solve this problem?
4. Decide if you can or can not ignore air drag (and what are you going to do if you
can’t…).
5. If you decide to ignore air drag, think of what the distance you calculate actually
means (e.g. would the actual distance be the same, shorter, or longer than the one
you calculate).
6. Once you decide what principle and set of equations may be useful to solve the
problem, list the variables that you need to know and decide where you’re going to
get the proper values from.

Your Mini-report
Your ​labeled​ sketch(es) of the situation(s) - the answer boxes will expand. You can use
Insert/Drawing to do that or insert a scan of a hand sketch

Question A
1. Answer with units:
41.39 m

2. Equation(s) used with description of variables and their units:

Equations: Variables:
2p u = ​velocity of the water jet (m/s)
u = Cv ·
sy = uy t +
√a t
1
ρ
2
Cv ​= velocity coefficient
2 y p=​ water pressure (Pa)
1 2 ρ = density of water (kg/m​3​)
sx = ux t + 2 ax t
s​y​ = height of the truck (m)
s​x​ =
​ range of the water jet (m)

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u​y​ = ​ vertical initial velocity of the jet

(m/s)
u​x​ =​ horizontal initial velocity of the jet
(m/s)
a​y =​ vertical acceleration (m/s​ )
2​

a​x​ = ​ horizontal acceleration (m/s​2​)

3. Values of the variables, with units, and where you got them from:

Variable Values/Units

u 52.92 m/s

Cv 1

p 1.4 * 10​6​ Pa

ρ 1000 kg/m​3

Values
2p
- Following the equation, u = Cv ·
√ ρ
, ​I got the result of ​u​ as 52.92 m/s.
- This paper already stated in the introduction that ​Cv​ is “close to 1 for
well-rounded nozzles”. Thus, it is assumed to be approximately 1 for convenience.
- The value of ​p​ can be found in the second document. It stated that for a normal
Akron Brass Company water cannon Model 3563 (regular), the pressure is 14 bar.
To convert it to Pascal, we used Google to calculate the value, receiving 1.4 * 10​6​.
- According to Mr. Maciej, the density of water is 1,000 kg/m​3​.

Calculation Units
2p Pa = N/m​2
u = Cv ·
√ ρ N = kg * m/s​2
P a = k g · m/s2 · m2
√
2(1.4 · 10 6 kg·m·m3 )
u=1 · 1000 kg·m2 ·s2 kg·m·m2
Pa = s2

u= √ 2(1.4 · 10 3 m)
1s

u = √2800 m/s
u = 52.92 m/s

Variables x y

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s 41.39 m -3 m

u 52.92 m/s 0 m/s

v 52.92 m/s V​y

a 0 m/s​2 -9.81 m/s​2

t 0.8 s 0.8 s
Given/estimated values
​ ​y​ is the height of the truck which had been estimated through looking at the
- s
picture of the truck compared to the policemen at the riot. A Thai male is about 170
cm. Thus, it can be estimated that the height of the truck is about 3 m. The reason
it is negative in the table is that the chosen direction for positive is up, leaving it as
negative as the water falls to the ground.
​ ​y​ is the vertical initial velocity of the water jet. Since the vertical initial velocity
- u
started at the water cannon, the value is 0 m/s.
​ ​x ​ ​is the horizontal acceleration of the water jet. Since the velocity is constant,
- a
there is no acceleration, resulting in 0 m/s​2​.
​ ​y​ ​ ​is the vertical acceleration of the water jet or the gravitational acceleration. It
- a
is well-known that the value of gravitational acceleration is 9.81 m/s​2​. Similar to ​s​y,​
the value becomes negative as a result of the chosen direction.
Calculated values
- t​ x​ ​ ​and ​ty​ ​ h
​ ave the same value, however, it is easier to find ​t​y​ ​first. With the given
​ nd ​ay​ ​ (​ -9.81 m/s​2​), we can use the equation:
value of ​sy​ ​ ​(-3 m)​, u​y​ (​ 0 m/s)​, a
1 2
sy = uy t + 2 ay t

(−9.81)t2
− 3 = (0)t + 2
−3(2)
−9.81 = t2

√
−3(2)
−9.81
=t

0.8 s = t
- ​ s​x​ i​ s the maximized range that the water jet can reach horizontally. This is the
variable which we need to find through other given variables. With ​t ​already
1 2
present, we can use this equation to find the value: sx = ux t + 2 ax t
1 2
sx = ux t + 2 ax t

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1 2
sx = (52.92)(0.8) + 2 (0)(0.8)

sx = 41.39 m

Question B
4. Answer with units:
228.5 m

5. Equation(s) used with description of variables and their units and what they were
used for:

Equation Variable
v x = v cos(45) v​ = final velocity from question A (m/s)
v​x​ = ​ horizontal velocity (m/s)
v y = v sin(45) u​x​ = ​ horizontal initial velocity (m/s)
v​y = ​ vertical velocity (m/s)
v y = u y + ay t 1 u​y​ = vertical initial velocity (m/s)
a​y​ = ​ gravitational acceleration (m/s​2​)
1 2
sy = uy t 3 + 2 ay t 3 t​ = time (s)
t1​ ​ = time between the nuzzle and the
−b ±√b 2 −4ac maximum height of the water jet. (s)
2a t2​ ​ =​ time from the maximum height​ ​to
t1​ ​ + t2​ ​+ t3​ ​ =​ ​t the height of the nuzzle. (s)
t3​ ​ =
​ time from the height of the truck to
v x +u x
sx = 2 t
the height of the floor. (s)
s​y​ = the maximum height of the water
jet at 45 degree (m)
s​x​ = the range of the water jet at 45
degree angle (m)
a​ = parameter ​a​ from quadratic
function
b​ = parameter ​b​ from quadratic
function
c​ = parameter ​c​ from quadratic
function

6. Values of the variables that you used, with units, and where you got them from:

v​ ​- final velocity from the last problem: 52.92 m/s

t​1​ ​- time between the nuzzle and the maximum height of the water jet: 3.815 s

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t​2​ ​- time from the maximum height​ ​to the height of the nuzzle: 3.815 s
t​3​ ​- time from the height of the truck to the height of the floor: 0.079 s

Variables x y

s 228.5 m -3 m

u 37.42 m/s 0 m/s

v 37.42 m/s 37.42

a 0 m/s​2 -9.81 m/s​2

t 7.7 s 7.7 s

Given/estimated values
​ ​ is the initial and final velocity of the horizontal plane from the last question.
- v
Please refer to question A for its origin.
- ​sy​ ​ is the height of the truck which has been estimated through looking at the
picture of the truck compared to the policemen at the riot. A Thai male is about 170
cm. Thus, it can be estimated that the height of the truck is about 3 m. The reason
it is negative in the table is that the chosen direction for positive is up, leaving it as
negative as the water falls to the ground.
​ ​y​ is the vertical initial velocity of the water jet. Since the vertical initial velocity
- u
starts at the water cannon, the value is 0 m/s.
​ ​x​ is the horizontal initial velocity of the water jet. Its value comes from the
- u
calculated value of ​vx​ ​ ​as the horizontal velocity is constant.
​ x​ ​ ​is the horizontal acceleration of the water jet. Since the velocity is constant,
- a
there is no acceleration, resulting in 0 m/s​2​.
​ y​ ​ ​ i​ s the vertical acceleration of the water jet or the gravitational acceleration. It
- a
is well-known that the value of gravitational acceleration is 9.81 m/s​2​. Similar to ​s​y,​
the value becomes negative as a result of the chosen direction.

Calculated values
- ​vx​ ​ i​ s the horizontal velocity while ​v​y​ ​is the vertical velocity. As the nozzle is
positioned at 45 degrees from the horizontal, we need to find each velocity with the
degree in the equation. For ​v​x,​ we use cosine (cos(degree)). For ​vy​ ​, we use sine
(sin(degree)):

v x = v cos(45) v y = v sin(45)

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v x = (52.92) cos(45) v y = (52.92) sin(45)

v x = 37.42 m/s v y = 37.42 m/s

- ​t1​ ​ is the time between the nuzzle and the maximum height of the water jet. ​t2​ ​ ​ is​
the time from the maximum height​ ​to the height of the nuzzle.​ t1​ ​ is equal to ​t2​ ​.
Therefore, we only need to find ​t1​ .​ With the given and calculated value of ​v​y​ ​(0
m/s)​, uy​ ​ ​(37.42 m/s) (this is an exception from the variables given in the table as ​t​1
only count to the maximum height, therefore, rendering the final velocity to 0 m/s
​ nd a
while the initial velocity is 37.42 m/s)​, a ​ ​y​ ​(-9.81 m/s​2​), we can use the equation:
v y = u y + ay t
0 = 37.42 + (− 9.81)t
−37.42
(−9.81) =t
3.815 s = t
- ​t3​ ​ ​is the time from the height of the truck to the height of the floor. This is the last
variable needed for finding the total time. With given and calculated variables of ​sy​
​ nd ​ay​ ​ ​(-9.81 m/s​2​), we can use the suvat equation and
(-3 m)​, uy​ ​ (​ 37.42 m/s)​, a
solve it with quadratic function.
1 2
sy = uy t 3 + 2 ay t 3

(−9.81)t 3 2
− 3 = (37.42)t 3 + 2

0 = 4.905 t2 + 37.42 t2 − 3
−b ±√b 2 −4ac
2a

= √
−(37.42) ± (37.42) 2 − 4(4.905)(−3)
2(4.905)

−37.42 ±√1400.2564 + 58.86

= 9.81
−37.42 ±√1400.2564 + 58.86
= 9.81

−37.42 + √1459.1164 −37.42 − √1459.1164

= 9.81 = 9.81

= 0.079 s = − 7.708 s

- ​t​ ​is the total time between when the water jet leaves the nuzzle and when it hits

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the floor. This can be found through the summation of all the ​t.​
t1​ ​ + t​2 ​+ t3​ ​ =​ ​t

​ 0.0795 = ​t
3.815 + 3.815​ +

7.63 + 0.0795 =​ t
7.709 s = ​t

- ​sx​ ​ ​is the range of the water jet at a 45 degree angle. This is the variable which
​ lready present, we can use
we need to find through other given variables. With ​t a
this equation to find the value:
v x +u x
sx = 2 t
2(37.42)
sx = 2 (7.709)

sx = (37.42)(7.709)
sx = 288.5 m

Question C
7. Answer with units:
Around: 151-160 m

8. Equation(s) used with description of variables and their units?

For this question, I estimated the answer as the equation is quite hard to
understand. I use the simulation to understand the effect that the air resistance has
on the water jet and projectile in general. From multiple attempts on different initial
velocity, I find that the faster the speed of the water jet, the more effect the air drag
seems to have on it. Thus, I experiment with three different sets of initial velocity:
10 m/s, 20 m/s, and 30 m/s to find out how much difference there is between each
set of velocity.

9. Values of the variables, with units, and where you got them from:
-

Your insightful comments on the viability of the answers, their likely uncertainty, the main
sources of errors, the impact of air drag on your calculations, and the use of water cannons
by riot police in general (a few paragraphs):
There are many uncertainties in each calculation for each problem. The main sources of

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error might derive from the fact that some of the values of the variables are either
estimated or rounded up too early. Instead of rounding it at the end, I may have rounded it
up in between the calculation. This can cause a minor error in each of the answers.
However, with many answers containing several minor errors, these can cause a
significant impact to the final answer.

Since I do not know how to calculate air drag for water jet -despite trying my best to read
the article, I estimated the effect the air drag may have on the maximum range. I play with
the Phet Colorado Projectile Motion simulation several times to try to grasp the nature of
air resistance. From what I have observed, the faster the velocity of the projectile is, the
more the air drag has an effect on it. ​Example​:

In the simulation, a ball with 1 kg of mass is thrown from a 45 degree angle with various
speeds to test the difference between the absence of air drag and its presence.

Initial speed: 10 m/s

Without: 10.19 m, 1.44 s
With: 9.63 m, 1.42 s

Initial speed: 20 m/s

Without: 40.77 m, 2.88 s
With: 33.23 m, 2.72 s

Initial speed: 30 m/s

Without: 91.74 m, 4.32 s
With: 61.63 m, 3.84 s

As you can see, the difference in the range between a projectile with and without air
resistance grows larger as the initial velocity increases. Thus, I estimate that the air drag
would have a lot of effect on the water jet, rendering its range to become a lot shorter.

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