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A paper bag is gliding up Pleasant Street. It's caught in the wind but weighed down with rain so it's gliding right along the pavement. It's windy outside. Wind happens when air from a higher pressure area rushes into a lower pressure area, right? Different areas have different air pressures because of temperature right? And temperature changes based on...um...wait, I got lost there.
You're in the shower. It's one of those ones that's in a tub and has a shower curtain. The water heats up the air in the shower. Hot air rises, so the air in the tub goes up to the ceiling. But there has to be some air in the bottom of the tub, so cooler air from the floor of the bathroom rushes in and forces the curtain to billow towards you.
That's how my science teacher explained it in junior high school. His example was lost on me though, because I grew up with a shower that had a door not a curtain. It wasn't until years later that I experience the billowing curtain syndrome.
Once again I have a shower with a door. I prefer it. There's no billowing.
So, when the hot air rises, the air pressure at the bottom of the tub decreases right? And the air-pressure outside of the tub is higher, so to equal things out, the cold air rushes in.
I suppose that's what's happening outside right now, and because of all this, the brownpaper bag is whipping along the sidewalk like a fox on a skateboard, its huge mouth open in the shape of a rectangular scream.
4 comments:
As a weather nut (as well as a beer nut) I beleive your answer is largely correct but not totally.
I'm not a meterologist, nor do I play one on TV (rats!) but what happens isn't so much that the cold air rushes in at the bottom, but rather that the hot air rising creates a mini low pressure system inside the curtain. But because the air pressure OUTSIDE the curtain remains somewhat stable (and greater than that of the "low" at the bottom inside the curtain), this stable air pressure on the outside pushes the lower part of the curtain in toward your body (well, not your body, but someone's--someone with a plastic shower curtain.)
The upper part of the curtain is unaffected because the pressure there is as high or higher than outside the curtain.
If you guys can't handle a little pressure, you shouldn't be in show biz.
Yes Geo,
I think that's pretty much what I was trying to say, you just said it better. Next lesson, we'll discuss condensation.
Isn't the fact that the top of the curtain is attached to the pole the reason it doesn't sway in?
I can't believe I am taking part in this.
I get mad when the shower curtain sticks to my ass when I bend over to wash my feet or whatever and when I satnd up I get a shower curtain wedgie.
I am a sane person - I just found this blog searching for the new fruit of the loom adverts and got distracted by the shower curtain talk. Thanks for clearing things up!
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