system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do cash-prepaid gas pumps slow down so much 25 cents before reaching the cutoff?

Couldn't they just run up to the very end, or at least not slow down until the last 2-3 cents?
gpt
They may well be stopping sooner than necessary, but it is better than being late. And liquids have momentum like everything else, so if you are pumping along and try to stop on a dime then you will have a "water hammer" effect caused by the fluid trying to keep flowing and slamming into your suddenly closed valve. Slowing down very gradually may help save on the wear and tear on the pump mechanism.