A kugel fountain (also called a "floating" sphere fountain or by the

pleonasm Pleonasm (; , ) is redundancy in linguistic expression, such as "black darkness" or "burning fire". It is a manifestation of tautology by traditional rhetorical criteria and might be considered a fault of style. Pleonasm may also be used for em ...

ic name kugel ball) is a

water feature In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, jeux d'eau, pools, ponds, rills, artificial waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, tho ...

or sculpture where a

sphere A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the c ...

sits in a fitted hollow in a pedestal, and is supported by

aquaplaning Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or other wheeled vehicle occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle fr ...

on a thin film of water. Pressurized water flows between the sphere and socket, creating a mechanical hydrostatic bearing that is nearly frictionless. The sphere can weigh thousands of kilograms, but the efficient bearing allows it to be spun by the force of a hand. The sphere does not float, being

denser Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematically ...

than water; it is often made from

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

. The hydraulics of the fountain can be controlled so that the

axis of rotation Rotation around a fixed axis is a special case of rotational motion. The fixed- axis hypothesis excludes the possibility of an axis changing its orientation and cannot describe such phenomena as wobbling or precession. According to Euler's r ...

of the sphere changes continually. Ring sculptures that rotate on an axis are also built. Kugel fountains can be found all over the world. Many are at popular tourist destinations, such as science museums, shopping centers, lobbies, and gardens. The term ''kugel'' is from the German word ''Kugel'' for ''

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

'' or ''

''.

Locations of kugel fountains

Notes

Gallery

File:Kugel June 24 2021.jpg, World globe, Jack C. Taylor Conference Center of the

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

File:Reaching for the Stars.jpg,

Celestial globe Celestial globes show the apparent positions of the stars in the sky. They omit the Sun, Moon, and planets because the positions of these bodies vary relative to those of the stars, but the ecliptic, along which the Sun moves, is indicated. ...

, weighing nine tons, being spun by a child. File:Kugel Ball in Lansdale.jpg,

Lansdale station Lansdale station, also known as the Lansdale Transportation Center, is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Located at Main Street ( PA 63) and Green Street, it serves the Lansdale/Doylestown Line. It was originally built in 19 ...

, Railroad Plaza,

Lansdale, Pennsylvania Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a densely-populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In 1900, 2,754 people live ...

File:Malta - Sliema - Triq It-Torri - floating sphere fountain 01 ies.ogv,

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the most densely po ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

File:Bottrop - Kirchplatz - Kugelbrunnen 02 (0) ies.ogv, The Kirchplatz fountain in

Bottrop Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail cent ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, with pigeon File:Kugel fountain dueren germany.jpg, Kugel fountain in Dueren,

File:Wuppertal Willy-Brandt-Platz 2014 016.webm, The transplanted Döppersberger Brunnen in its new location in the Willy-Brandt-Platz in

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and tow ...

References

External links

* {{cite journal , last1=Snoeijer , first1=Jacco H. , last2=der Weele , first2=Ko van , title=Physics of the granite sphere fountain , journal=American Journal of Physics , date=November 2014 , volume=82 , issue=11 , pages=1029–1039 , doi=10.1119/1.4886365 , url=http://stilton.tnw.utwente.nl/people/snoeijer/Papers/2014/SnoeijerAJP14.pdf, bibcode=2014AmJPh..82.1029S
Kugel fountain FAQ

Terracache dedicated to the kugel fountain.

Waymarking list of large kugel fountains, with GPS coordinates and images.
Balls Fountains Garden ornaments Outdoor sculptures

Locations of kugel fountains

Notes

Gallery

See also

References

External links