So what I really wanted to know about egg timers and saunas was this...?

Question

In the sauna where I go there's a timer, basically a large egg timer screwed to the wall so that it pivots about the centre. When you go in, you turn it round so that the full chamber is at the top, and the sand starts to flow.

Question is: if I don't turn it round fully, if I leave it slightly at an angle to the vertical, how much longer will I end up spending in the sauna?

You have to forgive me for this one - it's a municipal sauna and I get REALLY bored in there

Answer 1

If the timer is at a slant, it will take a longer time for the sand to flow as acceleration will be 9.81sinx m/s2 (where x is the angle of inclination) and NO LONGER 9.81m/s2.

However, the timer is there for a reason, and it is to prevent anyone from dehydrating due to perspiring too much. I would suggest that you turn it fully next time. In some saunas that do not have timers, people actually overstay the stipulated time, come out dizzy and feeling weak.

Answer 2

If you are speaking of a wind up type timer, your time could be between 35-45 minutes. The way it sounds though, this is an old fashion hour glass. Therefore, at an angle you would not let all the sand from the upper chamber to run through, so I would venture to guess at approximately 40 minutes give or take.

Answer 3

I'm not a mathematician, so I would take a stopwatch in, and time it first in the vertical position, then on the slant. You could experiment with different angles - oh, it'll be loads of fun! Better still - don't go to the sauna!

Answer 4

you will gain 50% of orginal time, i.e. the 1 hour becomes 90 minutes

Answer 5

you ll probably just melt away to a sweaty puddle....could we stand to lose you...??..now that is a question...

Answer 6

hehehehe...i thought about it once...and still cant figure out the answer...