Ever used the phrase “Run between the raindrops”? I think most us have at least heard it as an encouragement to say that we can get to our destination with less water on us than someone else. You may be surprised to find out that it doesn’t work that way.

I saw a great episode of Myth Busters. These guys would take common beliefs and either prove them true, or “debunk” the myth as a false statement that came from who knows where. This episode was about going out in the rain. The myth was more of a common practice that everyone does, because when the first raindrops hit our heads or bodies, we accelerate believing that time is the key factor which contributes to how much we get wet. Getting there faster means less water falls on us.

In their test, they set up a sprinkling device which covered a certain area with a constant sprinkle. Then they bought the test subjects two sets of identical outfits. Once they were through a course in the sprinkle at a walking pace, the second time they went through at a run, completing in a shorter time but covering the same distance. When they weighed the clothes after each trial, to their surprise, the walking test clothes weighed less, so took on less water from the fake rain. None of them had guessed this result would occur.

It was fun to hear them try to explain the results. The idea is that rain falls at a certain rate, slower than we think it does. Thus, moving faster horizontally means running into more raindrops than you get hit by from above when walking at the slower pace. The theory here would then support that there is an idea walking speed so that you walk into as few of drops as possible. Or to modify our favorite line when it comes to rain, “Walk between the raindrops”.

Hope that you have a Happy Less Wet Friday, whether you walk, or carry an umbrella. Remember to subscribe on the Perspectives page.