Shower curtains suck
Stories from Physics
for 11-14
14-16
An assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts has developed a computer simulation to explain why shower curtains move towards the falling stream of water, the so-called shower curtain effect. David Schmidt’s model shows that the shower spray produces a vortex that pulls the curtain in. The shower curtain effect can also refer to the phenomenon in which objects some distance behind a shower curtain appear blurred, but, when pushed against the fabric, can be viewed clearly. Understanding the effect is significant for astronomers trying to image objects in space and for developing biomedical imaging technology.
References
Shower curtains suck
Scientific American Website, Why does the shower curtain move toward the water? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-the-shower-curta/
E. Edrei, & G. Scarcelli, Optical imaging through dynamic turbid media using the Fourier-domain shower-curtain effect. Optica, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, pp. 71-74.
