4 ms·

This is definitely interesting. However, their diagram at the bottom makes me wish they had done another test site to model a sink near a toilet. While the lid-

by SamBam 3y ago

This is definitely interesting. However, their diagram at the bottom makes me wish they had done another test site to model a sink near a toilet. While the lid-closed position still allows plenty of aerosolized water to emerge from the sides of the closed lid, it's not clear whether the aerosolized particles are then light enough to head upward towards a sink, or if they fall semi-ballistically like their diagram implies.

thfuran 3y ago
Isn't an aerosol pretty much by definition able to be carried all around by air currents rather than being just a briefly suspended droplet? I do agree though that the bathroom sink area seems like an important thing to test. I'd have thought it's of much more interest than the floor beside the toilet.
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  But are aerosols like the proverbial spherical cows? I mean, is there a distribution of droplet size, and how much does that affect things?
  - stcredzero 3y ago
    But are aerosols like the proverbial spherical cows? This makes me want to see some physics simulations of cow shaped particles.
    - zonkerdonker 3y ago
      Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.avclub.com/consider-if-you-will-the-aerodynamics-of-a-cow-1846379998 https://www.avclub.com/consider-if-you-will-the-aerodynamics...
  - thfuran 3y ago
    There definitely will be a distribution of droplet sizes (plausibly not unimodal) depending on the mechanics of what's producing and dispersing the droplets. Broadly speaking, the smaller the droplet, the longer it stays in the air. I'm not sure precisely where the line is, but in the context of virology, 'droplet' and 'aerosol' are distinct. Droplets are large enough that they still fall mostly ballistically, albeit potentially a bit slowly for very small droplets. But once it's small enough that it doesn't really fall anymore, it's an aerosol. And they can remain suspended in the air for hours.

by SamBam 3y ago

thfuran 3y ago

Isn't an aerosol pretty much by definition able to be carried all around by air currents rather than being just a briefly suspended droplet? I do agree though that the bathroom sink area seems like an important thing to test. I'd have thought it's of much more interest than the floor beside the toilet.

actionfromafar 3y ago
But are aerosols like the proverbial spherical cows? I mean, is there a distribution of droplet size, and how much does that affect things?
- stcredzero 3y ago
  But are aerosols like the proverbial spherical cows? This makes me want to see some physics simulations of cow shaped particles.
  - zonkerdonker 3y ago
    Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.avclub.com/consider-if-you-will-the-aerodynamics-of-a-cow-1846379998 https://www.avclub.com/consider-if-you-will-the-aerodynamics...
- thfuran 3y ago
  There definitely will be a distribution of droplet sizes (plausibly not unimodal) depending on the mechanics of what's producing and dispersing the droplets. Broadly speaking, the smaller the droplet, the longer it stays in the air. I'm not sure precisely where the line is, but in the context of virology, 'droplet' and 'aerosol' are distinct. Droplets are large enough that they still fall mostly ballistically, albeit potentially a bit slowly for very small droplets. But once it's small enough that it doesn't really fall anymore, it's an aerosol. And they can remain suspended in the air for hours.