Where will water be traveling the fastest in a meandering stream?

In a meandering stream, water travels fastest on the outside of the bend due to the dynamics of fluid flow and the curvature of the stream channel. When water flows through a bend, it gets pushed outward due to centrifugal force, resulting in higher velocity on the outer bank. This location experiences less friction with the stream bank and bottom compared to the inside of the bend, where the water is more turbulent and slower due to increased resistance from the banks and the energy dissipating as it makes a turn.

Moreover, the outer bank tends to be deeper, which contributes to the faster flow, as deeper water experiences less drag from the riverbed. The interaction of these factors leads to a concentration of flow velocity on the outside of the bend, making it the point where water is traveling the fastest. Understanding this principle is crucial for appreciating the behavior of sediment transport and erosion along meander bends, as well as for predicting changes in river morphology over time.