The Pythagoras Cup

The Pythagoras cup is also called a Greedy cup. Its secret lies in its central column, which houses an upside-down-u-shaped pipe. Today, some toilets use the same ancient design as a flushing mechanism.

Key Facts In This Video

  1. Pythagoras invented the Pythagoras cup so that none of his students would receive more than their share of wine. 00:19

  2. Watch an animated demonstration of how the Pythagoras cup prevents drinkers from getting too greedy: 01:48

  3. Putting liquid mercury at the bottom of a Pythagoras cup will prevent it from working. 03:09

Written by Curiosity Staff July 23, 2015
