The low pressure of the vortex eye draws the shower curtain in. This is part of the reason why objects and even people can get sucked up in a cyclone.Ĭoming back to the simulation results, the axis of the vortex created by the spraying water is perpendicular to the curtain surface. The center, also known as the eye of the vortex, is a low-pressure region. Tornadoes and cyclones are examples of naturally occurring vortices (plural form of vortex). A vortex is a mass of fluid that revolves around a center axis line. The simulation results revealed that the spray from the shower resulted in the production of a horizontal vortex. He included a shower tub, the curtain rod, the rest of the room outside the shower area, the shower head, etc.ĭavid then ran a simulation on his modeled bathroom for about 2 weeks. The theory starts by considering the shower as a huge spray, which it is! Schmidt created a 3D model of a standard shower and also considered many of the minor details. To study sprays and their behavior, David made use of computer simulations. The theory comes from David Schmidt, whose work back in the day revolved around sprays and how they behave upon being discharged from openings, such as fuel injectors. Now, let’s take a look at the final and only theory with a strong basis. With every assumption comes a few exceptions.īernoulli’s principle is only applicable to isentropic flows (flows that are both adiabatic and reversible in nature), but not droplets, so this explanation for the shower curtain effect is certainly debatable. Similar to the previous theory, the pressure difference causes the shower curtain to move inwards, towards the low-pressure region. A pressure difference is therefore established on opposite sides of the curtain. However, the velocity and pressure of air on the outside surface of the curtain remain the same. As per Bernoulli’s principle, this increase in the velocity of air molecules is accompanied by a decrease in air pressure.
Some prime examples of the principle in action are the flow of fluids through nozzles, the generation of lift by airplane wings, the spin achieved on baseballs and footballs, etc.įor the shower curtain effect, the theory is applied by assuming that the water gushing out of the shower head accelerates the air molecules that it cuts through.
The principle states, ‘An increase in the velocity of fluid happens concurrently with a decrease in fluid pressure and vice versa’. Bernoulli’s principle relates the change in the velocity of a fluid with changes in pressure. This next theory claims that the shower curtain’s clinginess towards you is because of Bernoulli’s principle. However, this explanation falls short when trying to explain why the shower curtain is still drawn towards you when taking a cold shower! Theory #2 – Bernoulli’s principle This movement of air from the outside high-pressure region to replace the warm air that exited, thus creating a low-pressure region on the inside, is believed by many to cause the shower curtain effect. The outside air, which is at a relatively higher pressure, accelerates towards the low-pressure region from the bottom of the curtain dragging the curtain along with it. This creates a region of low air pressure on the inside. Warm air, being less dense than cold air, rises to the top of the shower.Īt the top, the excited atoms of the warm air exit from the space between the ceiling and the shower hanger. The warm water being sprayed from the shower head raises the temperature of the surrounding air.
This pressure difference arises due to the difference in air densities. One of the theories suggests that the inward movement of the curtain may be due to the difference in the air pressures on opposite sides of the curtain. Theory #1 – The difference in air densities
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