Why do shower curtains move toward the water spray and eventually "cling" to the person in the shower?

Question

Turn on the shower, and the shower curtain moves inside the shower stall towards the water spray. The faster or more volume of water sprayed means the curtain moves toward the spray faster and closer to the spray. Why?

Answer 1

This received an IgNobel prize recently (2001).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shower-curtain_effect

More science fun

http://www.dickran.net/nobel/ignobel.html

Answer 2

It's explained by what hot air does....it rises. The inside of a shower is warm/hot, the air outside is much cooler. The hot air in the shower rises and goes out over the top of the shower curtain, at the same time cool air is pulled in at the bottom, which moves the shower curtain towards you. Try using a shower curtain liner, good ones have magnets in them, this makes them stick to the tub, another thing that helps, as soon as you get in the shower, let the water get the curtain wet along the edges, then press it along the sides of the shower...sort of stick it on, this will help it from flaring in towards you..hopefully one of these things will help :)

Answer 3

Two reasons:-

1. The down-rush of water sets up a downward draught of air causing the curtain to be "sucked" towards the water - and you.

2. Water carries an electrostatic charge - each water molecule acts like a tiny magnet (this is how nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in hospitals works). Your shower curtain is probably made of a plastic material like nylon, which also carries an electrostatic charge - and the two attract and the curtain moves towards the water.

Once the curtain has touched you it starts to cling because another property of water comes into play... surface tension. You see surface tension in action when you see insects on a pond - they can "walk" on the surface without sinking because the water forms a "skin". This is where all the water molecules in effect "glue" themselves together at the water's surface. In the shower the water layer between your skin and the curtain acts as a "glue" in a similar way.

Answer 4

haha. I used to consistently have a feeling somebody or something replace into in the back of the bathe curtain too!! different than i might look previously! And ya--i might swing it open speedy to scare them previously they scare me.....too many frightening movies i assume Thank goodness i'm over that now! :)

Answer 5

The Bernoulli Effect. Look it up.

Answer 6

same reason a balloon in a car will move to the front when you speed up and to the rear when you stop quickly. difference in air pressure.