[caption id="attachment_4265" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Umbrella"]
[/caption]Veronica Sturman - Rain
in Natchitoches raises the question: run or walk through the rain? Many
people have wondered if they would stay drier running or walking
through the rain. I decided to run an experiment to try to answer this
question.
I chose several t-shirts and weighed them each with my
chemistry scale in grams to the one decimal place. Then I walked or
jogged from my front door to the gate at the end of my driveway and back
wearing a different t-shirt each trip. I weighed the shirts afterwards
to see how much water they picked up and charted my results. I divided
the difference between the wet and dry shirts by the original dry shirt
to weight to figure out the percentage of water weight gain. Then I
averaged the results for walking and for running.
chemistry scale in grams to the one decimal place. Then I walked or
jogged from my front door to the gate at the end of my driveway and back
wearing a different t-shirt each trip. I weighed the shirts afterwards
to see how much water they picked up and charted my results. I divided
the difference between the wet and dry shirts by the original dry shirt
to weight to figure out the percentage of water weight gain. Then I
averaged the results for walking and for running.
The theory is
that if you run in the rain, you spend less time in the rain. However,
you’re running into rain and getting the front of your body wet as well
your head and shoulders. If you walk in the rain, you mostly get your
head and shoulders wet, but you spend more time in the rain. The
question is how these factors balance out in the end.
that if you run in the rain, you spend less time in the rain. However,
you’re running into rain and getting the front of your body wet as well
your head and shoulders. If you walk in the rain, you mostly get your
head and shoulders wet, but you spend more time in the rain. The
question is how these factors balance out in the end.
My
experiment showed that I stayed slightly drier jogging, and I mean
slightly! I’m not the first person to try this experiment. Jamie Hyneman
and Adam Savage from Myth Busters, a show from the Discovery Channel,
found that they stayed slightly drier walking. Scientists from the
National Climatic Data Center got similar results to mine. Some
experiments show that you stay drier walking and others that you stay
drier running. The data is inconclusive.
experiment showed that I stayed slightly drier jogging, and I mean
slightly! I’m not the first person to try this experiment. Jamie Hyneman
and Adam Savage from Myth Busters, a show from the Discovery Channel,
found that they stayed slightly drier walking. Scientists from the
National Climatic Data Center got similar results to mine. Some
experiments show that you stay drier walking and others that you stay
drier running. The data is inconclusive.
My recommendation is
that you should walk, if you feel like walking, and run, if you feel
like running. I also like to skip and do cartwheels in the rain, but I generally don’t mind getting wet.
that you should walk, if you feel like walking, and run, if you feel
like running. I also like to skip and do cartwheels in the rain, but I generally don’t mind getting wet.
