Why Does a Shower Curtain Move Towards You in a Hot Shower?

[Denioc]

Hey there. I'm new here and I wasn't exactly sure where to put this thread so please don't yell at me or anything if I'm wrong. :] So for my physical science class I have the following questions and I need a bit of help on it.

1. Explain using the terms heat, molecules, speed, pressure, fluid why a shower curtain sometimes "attacks" you.

My answer:
A shower curtain sometimes attacks you because as you heat the shower up, you increase the speed of the air and decrease the pressure. When this happens, the molecules move faster and get farther apart which allows room for the shower curtain to pull through.

I wasn't sure where to stick the word, "fluid" in there though.

2. Explain why friction between fluids is always less than friction between solids.

My answer: Friction between fluids is always less than friction between solids because fluids are smoother which causes it to have less friction than solids.

Thanks in advance :]

 

[rocketscience08]

I suppose you could mention fluid by stating that as the air heats up, the pressure causes the fulid to "siphon/create a vacuum" (sorry for lack of better words) the surrounding air. This creates an imbalance of pressures on each side of the shower curtain where the outside pressure is greater thus pushing it inwards.

 

[thomate1]

Hello! Welcome to the forum. I'm happy to help with your homework questions.

1. Your answer is on the right track. To incorporate the term "fluid," you can explain that the air inside the shower is considered a fluid because it can flow and move easily. As the air molecules move faster and get farther apart, the fluid becomes less dense and can create a low-pressure area that pulls the shower curtain towards you.

2. This is because fluids, such as liquids and gases, have particles that can easily slide past each other, causing less resistance or friction compared to solid particles that are tightly packed and unable to move as freely.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. Keep up the good work in your physical science class.