The Hoover Dam is an incredible feat of engineering.
Built between 1931 and 1936, the Hoover Dam sits on the Colorado River at the border of Nevada and Arizona. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest dam in the world. While there are now taller dams, that doesn’t mean that the Hoover Dam is not impressive. In fact, this dam alone produces approximately 4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually, which is enough to supply power to over 1.3 million people in the area.
Given the awe-inspiring nature of this construction, it’s no surprise that the landmark welcomes around 7 million visitors every year. While there, tourists may take a walk through the visitor center, snap a few pictures at one of its many lookout points, or try and fail to pour a glass of water down the side of it.
Wait, what was that last part?
What’s The ‘Hoover Dam Water Trick’?
In a video with over 57 million views, TikTok user Eddie (@rarity_eddie) shows someone walking along the top edge of the Hoover Dam. The person carries a cup of water. After a second, he attempts to pour the water over the edge.
Instead of falling down, the water flies upwards. Some water goes straight up, while a few droplets make their way onto Eddie and the man.
“POV you heard you can’t pour water down the Hoover dam,” Eddie wrote the video’s overlay text. In the caption, he adds, “They said it couldn’t be done. So we did it. What else should I try?”
Eddie isn’t the first to post about this phenomenon. One example was posted to Instagram in 2016, after which it was repeatedly reposted by other accounts. Later, in May 2020, a post on Reddit showing a similar experiment garnered over 37,000 upvotes.
But is this phenomenon even real? And if it is, how does it work?
What’s Going On Here?
There are a few reasons why this happens.
First, it has to do with the shape of the dam itself. The dam is not straight up and down; instead, it bends from the bottom upward at an increasing incline.
Not only that, but—as noted by Interesting Engineering—the top and the bottom of the dam are extremely different in temperature.
This means that, when hot air blows through the canyon, it eventually reaches the dam. The shape of the dam, paired with the temperature difference, causes the hot air to rise to meet the cooler reservoir above.
As a result, the effect shown in the video is created. While some have claimed this effectively means there “no gravity at the Hoover Dam,” this is simply untrue. Lighter objects and liquids will likely fly upwards, as is shown in the video. However, heavier objects, such as a rock or cell phone, would likely fall straight downwards.
Commenters Are Amazed
In the comments section, many users expressed their amazement at this phenomenon.
“What the f— is actually going on,” said one commenter.
“My brain cannot comprehend this,” declared a second.
Others simply made jokes.
“As a physics major I can actually tell you guys why this happens! It’s really interesting actually, this just means that the dam isn’t very thirsty right now,” joked a user.
“Then how is there water down there?” asked another, following the post up with a “jk.”
@rarity_eddie They said it couldn’t be done. So we did it. What else should I try? #hooverdam #waitforit #whatishappening #oddlysatisfyingvideo #traveltok
BroBible reached out to Eddie via Instagram and Facebook direct message.