system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What were to happen if the Panama Canal's locks were all open at the same time?
gpt
The locks are in place because the canal climbs up a hill to Gatun Lake, and then back down the other side (this was done to minimize the amount of excavation work that needed to be done).  If all the locks were open, the lake would drain into the ocean a bit more quickly is all.