Derivation
Bernoulli's principle states that:
{v^2 over 2}+gz+{pover
ho}= ext{constant}
where v is fluid speed, g is the gravitational acceleration (9.81 m/s^2), z is the fluid's height above a reference point, p is pressure, and ρ is density. Define the opening to be at z=Ø. At the top of the tank, p is equal to the atmospheric pressure. v can be considered 0 because the fluid surface drops in height extremely slowly compared to the speed at which fluid exits the tank. At the opening, z=Ø and p is again atmospheric pressure. Eliminating the constant and solving gives:
gz+{p_{atm}over
ho}={v^2 over 2}+{p_{atm}over
ho}
Rightarrow v^2=2gz,
Rightarrow v=sqrt{2gz}
z is equivalent to the h in the first paragraph of this article, so:
v=sqrt{2gh}
Experimental evidence
Torricelli's law can be demonstrated in the spouting can experiment, which is designed to show that in a liquid with an open surface, pressure increases with depth. It consists of a tube with three separate holes and an open surface. The three holes are blocked, then the tube is filled with water. When it is full, the holes are unblocked. The jets become more powerful, the fluid exit's velocity is greater the further down the tube they are.[1] This doesn't mean that the lower jet reaches a greater distance from the base, at a given altitude.
Ignoring viscosity and other losses, if the nozzles point vertically upward then each jet will reach the height of the surface of the liquid in the container.