Backwards Fountain

This fountain has a series of steps which water flows over. But unlike an ordinary fountain, water starts at the bottom and climbs its way to the top.

This is a achieved through a series of hidden pumps and jets. Each step has a very slight slope away from the lip, so the water flows towards the higher step. At the base of each step are drain holes and jets, which suck water in and shoot it up to the next step. Through careful calibration and a sufficient number of nozzles, it should be possible to have the water travel in a gentle but turbulent parabola which only just makes it to the top of the step. After the last step, at the top of the fountain, water goes down a drain and ends up at the bottom again.

At a glance, the Backwards Fountain should look like an ordinary, garden-variety forwards fountain. But up close, it becomes obvious that the water is flowing backwards.